Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Buckinghamshire

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2019 to Question 216885 on High Speed 2 Railway Line: Buckinghamshire, how long those sites will accommodate construction workers; and whether construction workers' families will also be accommodated on the sites.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Based on the Environmental Statement, the approximate duration for accommodation is 3 years 6 months at the A41 Bicester Road compound and 3 years 9 months at the Small Dean compound. The sites are for construction workers and not families.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much under contract (a) has been paid and (b) will be paid by (i) HS2 Ltd and (ii) his Department in relation to High Speed Two to (A) Dods Group Plc for parliamentary monitoring and political services and (B) Edge Picture Company for corporate training, promotional and broadcast media films.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The HS2 overall funding envelope is £55.7bn and we report annually via HS2 Ltd’s annual reporting account on overall spending.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) has been and (b) is due to be paid to Soil Engineering Ltd for its work on High Speed Two.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Over 2000 businesses across the UK have been awarded contracts to deliver HS2 work. Each contract is commercially sensitive. The HS2 overall funding envelope is £55.7bn and we report annually via HS2 Ltd’s annual report and accounts on overall spending.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) visits and (b) (i) dates and (ii) locations of those visits which Mark Thurston has undertaken with High Speed Two contractors.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To date HS2 Ltd has over 2,000 contracts with UK-registered businesses, of which 70% are SMEs. Mark Thurston regularly meets with contractors and businesses in the HS2 supply chain across the country. It would involve disproportionate cost to provide details of the large number of meetings in the two years that Mark Thurston has been Chief Executive Officer of HS2 Ltd.

National College for High Speed Rail

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many places have been made available at the National College for High Speed Rail in (a) Birmingham and (b) Doncaster in each year since that college was founded; how many students have (i) enrolled, (ii) dropped out and (iii) completed training at those colleges; and what qualifications were awarded to those students who completed such training.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Having been operational for only one full academic year, 48 students have so far completed their studies across both the Doncaster and Birmingham Campuses. 341 students have enrolled.

Department for Education

Apprentices

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of apprenticeships standards compared with apprenticeships frameworks.

Anne Milton: New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed by employers, creating higher quality training that will lead to a more skilled and productive economy. The move away from apprenticeship frameworks’ on-programme assessment via qualifications to the standards’ rigorous end-point assessment gives employers much greater assurance that, at the end of the apprenticeship, the apprentice is fully occupationally competent.There were 163,700 starts on apprenticeship standards in 2017/18, which is more than 6 times higher than in 2016/17. This shows that employers are moving quickly to this new higher quality offer. The 20% minimum off-the-job training rule and this shift to standards with a longer average duration has already contributed to a 25% rise in expected apprenticeship training hours over the past year.We will continue to assess the value for money of apprenticeship standards over the longer term as we see more apprentices complete the standards and progress in their careers.

Children and Young People: Visual Impairment

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure that there is a sufficient capacity in education and habilitation vision impairment specialists to allow for the assessment of all young people and children with vision impairment; and what steps he plans to take to regularly review that capacity.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities, in consultation with schools and other services, should consider carefully how best to meet the needs of children and young people in their area, including those with vision impairment. This may include working closely with neighbouring authorities to provide joint services to meet low incidence needs.To support local authorities, we have announced an additional £250 million high needs funding, over this year and the next. This will bring the total allocated for high needs next year to £6.3 billion. We recognise that authorities’ high needs budgets face significant pressures and this additional investment will help them manage those pressures.In addition, we are providing £3.4 million for 2018-2020 to equip the school workforce to deliver high quality teaching across all types of special educational need and disabilities (SEND), including vision impairment. The SEND schools’ workforce contract, which will be delivered by the Whole School SEND consortium, will help schools to identify and meet SEND training needs and build the specialist workforce. We are also reviewing the learning outcomes of specialist SEND qualifications, including the mandatory qualifications for teachers of classes with visual impairment, to ensure they reflect the changing needs of the education system.

English Baccalaureate: Music

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the EBacc on the number of students studying music post-14.

Nick Gibb: The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) should be studied as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. The attached table shows that the proportion of students taking GCSE music since 2010 when the EBacc was introduced has fluctuated but remained broadly stable. 



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Schools: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and which schools in Ashfield constituency meet all eight Gatsby benchmarks for careers education.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.The Careers & Enterprise Company and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation developed Compass, a free online tool that helps schools to evaluate and monitor improvements in their careers provision against the Gatsby benchmarks, which is now used by over 3,000 schools and colleges.The Careers & Enterprise Company collects this information, which is published annually at a national level. The 2018 ‘State of the Nation’ report provides an updated assessment of progress, based on the Compass results of 3,092 schools and colleges. It shows that benchmark engagement and performance have both improved:There are now five times more schools and colleges assessing themselves against the benchmarks since 2017, and ten times more than in 2014.The average school or college is now fully achieving 2.13 benchmarks, up from 1.87 in 2017 and 1.34 in 2014.21 schools and colleges (0.7%) are now meeting all eight of the benchmarks.The report is available to view at: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/stateofthenation.A good way to highlight the importance of the Gatsby Benchmarks is for individual MPs to contact the schools in their constituency.

Schools: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage schools in (a) Ashfield and (b) Nottinghamshire to become part of a Careers Hub.

Anne Milton: The government’s careers strategy committed to testing “Careers Hubs” in 20 areas. Careers Hubs comprise of up to 40 local schools and colleges working together with universities, training providers, employers and careers professionals to improve careers education. In October 2018 the Secretary of State announced the government would test Careers Hubs in a further 20 areas. This will bring the total amount of government investment in Careers Hubs to £7.5 million. Applications are being accepted for the second wave of Careers Hubs until 22 February 2019. The standard model is for Local Enterprise Partnerships and Combined Authorities to coordinate bids in partnership with named schools and colleges. However, in any places where the Local Enterprise Partnership or Combined Authority does not wish to bid, we will welcome bids from other groups of 20-40 schools and colleges who wish to come together. To support all interested groups in applying for the second wave of Careers Hubs, The Careers & Enterprise Company produced a ‘Careers Hub Prospectus’. This can be found on The Careers & Enterprise Company website at: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/bid-become-hub. Regional Leads from The Careers & Enterprise Company have also been in touch with potential bidders to offer guidance on how to interpret the prospectus. Successful applications for the second wave of Hubs will be notified by mid-April and will be operational from September 2019.

GCSE

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost is for an adult to re-sit a GCSE in (a) maths and (b) English language; and whether (i) funding for re-sitting is available to providers or (ii) the cost of re-sitting has to be paid by learners.

Anne Milton: We provide full funding up to and including Level 2 English and maths for adults aged 19 and above, including those who are employed, who do not have a GCSE grade 4, grade C, or higher. This is a legal entitlement as set out in the Apprenticeships, Skills and Children’s Learning Act 2009. Funding for these qualifications is provided through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), paragraphs 171 to 177 of the AEB funding rules for 2018 to 2019 gives further information on eligibility and entitlements, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-education-budget-funding-rules-2018-to-2019. If a learner wants to ‘retake’ their GCSE English and maths qualification because they did not achieve a grade 4 or higher (C or higher), then we will not fund the learner to re-sit the exam only. We will, however, fully fund the learner if they complete the learning programme again before retaking the exam. Learners wishing to ‘retake’ their English and maths qualification only, will need to approach their provider who can check with the relevant awarding organisation that private candidates are accepted and what fee will be charged. Providers, in receipt of an AEB allocation, will receive £811 if they deliver English and maths GCSEs to adults aged 19 and above. Further information can be found via the AEB: Funding rates and formula 2018 to 2019, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-education-budget-funding-rates-and-formula-2018-to-2019.

GCSE: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many providers have run courses for adults to resit GCSE maths and English language in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The attached table contains the number of providers where adult (19+) learners are participating in GCSE English or maths courses in the Ashfield constituency and Nottinghamshire. 



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Pre-school Education: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to allocate further supplementary funding to maintained nursery schools after 2019-20.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the reduction in the number of maintained nursery schools since 2010.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to allocate funding to the (a) reopening and (b) opening of maintained nursery schools.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost to other public services in areas where maintained nursery schools have closed.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on children with SEND of the closure of maintained nursery schools as a result of a reduction in funding allocated to those schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: Maintained nursery schools make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).Maintained nursery schools experience costs over and above those of other early years providers. That is why we are providing local authorities with around £60 million a year in supplementary funding to enable them to protect maintained nursery schools’ funding.This arrangement is due to end in March 2020, and what happens after that will be determined by the next Spending Review. Owing to uncertainty over the exact date of the Spending Review, we are considering how best to handle transitional arrangements for a number of areas, including maintained nursery schools.Local funding decisions are a matter for the relevant local authority. We are clear that it would be premature for local authorities to make decisions about the future of their maintained nursery schools before the Spending Review outcomes are published. There is a presumption against the closure of maintained nursery schools. This does not mean that they will never close, but when they do, local authorities have a statutory requirement to ensure that alternative provision: is of at least equal quality; maintains expertise and specialism; and is more accessible and convenient for local parents.

Studio@Deyes School

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils attended the Studio@Deyes school in Liverpool in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number of pupils attending Studio@Deyes school since opening in September 2016 are: 75 in 2016/17, 139 in 2017/18 and 134 pupils currently in 2018/19.

Studio@Deyes School

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of opening Studio@Deyes school in Liverpool in September 2016.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department provides capital funding for the acquisition of sites/land and construction of free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools, and provides project development grants to proposers to cover essential non-capital costs prior to each school opening.Figures for Studio@Deyes school are set out below and are published online on GOV.UK.Type of Funding Value Capital Funding (site acquisition and construction)£4,802,910Project Development Grant£504,000 (covering 25 months)Total£5,306,910 On 31 January 2019, following discussions with Lydiate Learning Trust, the department agreed to the in-principle closure of Studio@Deyes in August 2020 subject to a listening period. Where a school closes the department and LocatED will always aim to recover assets and identify alternative educational uses for sites. If this is not possible, the department retains the option to sell the site for a commercial return.

Studio@Deyes School

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost was to the public purse of the operation of Studio@Deyes school in Liverpool in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: Pre-16 school and academy funding allocations are published each financial year for all schools and academies and is available through the following links:Information relating to ‘Academies Funding – Pre-16 funding allocations’, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-block-funding-allocations. Information relating to ‘Post 16 funding allocations’, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations. Additional grants may be applied to academies for specific purposes, and available data for these is published on GOV.UK. Information relating to ‘Pupil Premium allocations (financial year allocation)’, can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/search?q=pupil+premium+allocations. Information relating to ‘Teacher Pay Grant allocations’, can be found at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-pay-grant-2018-to-2019-financial-year-allocations. Information relating to ‘Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) allocations’, can be found at:  https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations.

Studio@Deyes School

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what educational outcomes were achieved by pupils attending Studio@Deyes school in Liverpool in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The attainment of pupils at the end of key stage 4 and for 16-18 study for Studio@Deyes school in Liverpool in each of the last 2 years[1][2] is provided in the attached tables. The tables cover the headline measures shown in the school and college performance tables. Further information on these measures, and additional measures, can be found at:https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/142128/the-studio-%40-deyes. [1] The school opened on 1 September 2016, therefore only has 2 years of results available.[2] Figures may have been suppressed (SUPP) when there are 5 or fewer pupils or students covered by the measure or marked as no entry (NE). NE refers to when the school or college did not enter any pupils or students for the qualifications covered by the measure.



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Specialist Schools: Complaints

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2019 to Question 219459 on Specialist Schools: Complaints, what records his Department holds on complaints by parents who were dissatisfied with their school’s complaints procedure and subsequently made complaints to him on the use of restrictive practices in specialist schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for South Shields to the answer I gave on 14 February 2019 to Question 219459.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities have requested permission to transfer more than 0.5 per cent out of the schools block to pay for high-needs SEND provision outside mainstream schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has received requests from 21 local authorities to transfer more than 0.5% out of the schools block to another block within the dedicated schools grant. He cannot advise as to whether the funding transferred is to be spent on mainstream or non-mainstream provision as that information is not held centrally.

Schools: Private Education

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of independent schools in England do not meet his Department's independent school standards.

Anne Milton: It is not possible to say how many independent schools are not meeting the standards at any one time. Meeting the standards is a condition of continued registration as an independent school, but the principal means of ascertaining compliance is through the inspection system.Independent schools are normally inspected every 3 years and more often if they have been found not to be meeting the standards, until they improve. Therefore, at any one time, a particular school may be awaiting inspection and may or may not be meeting the standards or be under regulatory action and in the process of achieving compliance once again.A statement on the regulation of independent schools is published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-independent-schools.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2018 to Question 184973 on Disabled Students' Allowances, whether the research project on the impact of disabled students' allowances on eligible students has been completed; and when he plans to publish that research.

Chris Skidmore: The research project has been completed and its report was published on 17 January 2019. The report is available at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-disabled-students-allowances-dsas. In an article on 17 January, I called on universities to do more to show disabled students that going to university can be an option for them, and to put disabled students front and centre in their planning to accommodate their needs. A link to the article can be found here:https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/17/universities-can-do-more-to-support-their-disabled-students.

Further Education: Finance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to schools and colleges through the large programme uplift in each year since its introduction.

Anne Milton: The total funding allocated for the large programme uplift since its introduction in the 16 to 19 funding formula in 2016/17 has been as follows: Academic YearLarge Programme Funding2016/17£8.14 million2017/18£7.75 million2018/19£7.24 million

GCE A-level: Arts

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that students living in areas of highest deprivation have the opportunity to study arts subjects at A-level.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the trend in the number of schools in areas of highest deprivation offering A-level music to students since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department wants to ensure that all students have the opportunity to study arts subjects at A level if they wish to do so, regardless of their background or geographic location. It is up to individual schools and colleges to decide which A level courses to offer, and as part of that they may wish to work together with other schools and colleges in the area to combine resources and maximise choice.The Department does not hold information on the number of institutions that have offered A level music. Instead the Department holds data for the exams entered at each institution. The attached table shows the number of institutions that entered at least one student for music A level. As context, it also shows the overall number of institutions that entered at least one student for an A level in any subject, and the percentage of those institutions that entered at least one student for music A level.The number of institutions was recorded for each Local Authority District (LAD) in England; each of these LADs were ranked according to their deprivation score, as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index, and split into quintiles. The data is not held in the same format prior to 2015/16, so equivalent figures for earlier years could not be calculated without incurring disproportionate costs.



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Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the value of contracts held by his Department with (a) Deloitte, (b) Slaughter and May and (c) Mott MacDonald is in the last two years.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy holds a contact register detailing all live contracts with a whole life value of over £100K. The data from this register shows a contract value of;(a) Deloitte £155,960;(b) Slaughter and May £0;(c) Mott MacDonald £5,293,380.

Electrical Control Equipment: Housing

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) Electricity, Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 and (b) Distribution Connection and Use of Service Agreement whereby only Distribution Network Operators, Energy Suppliers and meter operators can remove cut-out fuses in domestic properties.

Claire Perry: No recent assessments have been made of the effectiveness of the Electricity, Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations. Regulation 24 requires the cut-out to be locked or sealed to prevent supply interference by unauthorised persons.The Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement is a multi-party contract between licensed electricity distributors, suppliers and generators in Great Britain concerned with the use of the electricity distribution system. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is not a party to this agreement. The industry regulator, Ofgem, is responsible for approving changes to this agreement.Government and Ofgem have launched a review into the rules that govern our energy system to develop options for improving the codes and their governance. The Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement is in the scope of this review.

STEM Subjects: Young People

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on establishing a campaign similar to the 2018 Year of Engineering to encourage young people into careers in STEM subjects.

Chris Skidmore: We are committed to encouraging young people to consider STEM careers and wish to explore how we can build on the success of the 2018 Year of Engineering campaign. Current BEIS programmes to inspire young people to take up STEM study or go into STEM careers include STEM Ambassadors and the CREST Awards. STEM Ambassadors has a UK-wide network of over 30,000 volunteers (40% of whom are women) from a wide range of employers who engage with young people to increase their interest in STEM studies and careers. CREST Awards are the UK’s largest national award scheme for project work in STEM subjects. Evaluation has shown participation has a positive effect on STEM GCSE results. Over 30,000 young people aged 11 to 18 receive a CREST Award each year.

European Research Infrastructure Consortia

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK will be a member of European Research Infrastructure Consortia after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Skidmore: Both the ‘Framework for the UK-EU partnership in Science, Research and Innovation’ and ‘The Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union’ outline the UK’s ambition to continue to host and support European Research Infrastructures post EU Exit. The Political Declaration also expresses the commitment of the UK and the EU to explore UK participation in European Research Infrastructure Consortia after we have left the EU. Any country in the world can be a member of an ERIC, however membership as a third country would require the UK to accept the terms of the EU ERIC Regulation, under which these separate legal entities are formed. Therefore, our continued participation is subject to negotiation with the European Commission. However, should membership not be possible, BEIS and delegated responsible authorities are working with each individual ERIC to explore the potential alternatives for continued UK participation.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of state aid allocated to (a) Nissan and (b) other car manufacturers since 2010.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 19 February 2019



The Government supports the automotive sector via a number of routes, including the Regional Growth Fund to support individual investment projects as well as the Advanced Propulsion Centre which is aimed at research and development to bring forward the next generation of low carbon technologies, keeping the UK at the cutting edge of low carbon automotive innovation. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, provides R&D support across a range of technology themes including low carbon, materials and manufacturing; and connected and autonomous vehicles. SchemeNissanOther car manufacturersRegional Growth Fund£95,656,500£143,512,396Advanced Propulsion Centre£10,865,412£111,622,294Innovate UK£9,042,950£55,284,141

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Departmental Responsibilities

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what each workstream is in his Department.

Richard Harrington: The Department’s objectives are to deliver an ambitious industrial strategy; maximise investment opportunities and bolster UK interests as we leave the EU; promote competitive markets and responsible business practices; ensure the UK has a reliable, low cost and clean energy system; and to build a flexible, innovative, collaborative and business-facing department. The workstreams to achieve these objectives are set out the BEIS Single Departmental Plan at the link below. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy-single-departmental-plan/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy-single-departmental-plan-may-2018

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, apart from Hinkley Point, what plans the Government has to construct new nuclear power stations.

Richard Harrington: As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his statement to the House on 17 January, this Government continues to believe that nuclear has a vital role to play in the UK’s energy future as we transition to the low carbon economy, but it must represent good value for taxpayers and consumers. We understand that developers are actively engaged in planning of nuclear power stations at Sizewell C and Bradwell. Discussions with Hitachi in respect of the future of the Wylfa and Oldbury sites are ongoing.

Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the viability of Cumbria as a site for the development of future modular reactors in the UK.

Richard Harrington: The Government is actively considering siting policy for small reactors. We recognise that there is growing local and regional interest for the development of many sites with SMRs or AMRs, including sites in Cumbria. Our work is exploring the arguments made to us that new, smaller power plants should use existing or reuse former nuclear licensed sites to take advantage of past investment in infrastructure and grid connections at those sites, and the skilled workforces around them. There are also arguments for exploring new sites. This work on siting is ongoing and we intend to provide an update during the course of the year.

Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of (a) Moorside and (b) Sellafield as possible locations for Small Modular Reactors and Advanced Modular Reactors.

Richard Harrington: The Government is actively considering siting policy for small reactors. We recognise that there is growing local and regional interest for the development of many sites with SMRs or AMRs, including sites in Cumbria. Our work is exploring the arguments made to us that new, smaller power plants should use existing or reuse former nuclear licensed sites to take advantage of past investment in infrastructure and grid connections at those sites, and the skilled workforces around them. There are also arguments for exploring new sites. This work on siting is ongoing and we intend to provide an update during the course of the year.

Gratuities

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2018 to Question 178527 on Gratuities, when the Government plans to publish a response to the consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Gratuities

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 12 February 2019, Official Report, column 724, on Small Businesses, for what reason he is not bringing forward legislative proposals on tipping, gratuities and service charges until the next Session.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Agency Workers: Equal Pay

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his oral contribution of 17 December 2018, Official Report,column 573, when the the repeal of the Swedish Derogation will be implemented.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to develop modular reactors in Cumbria.

Richard Harrington: Our landmark Nuclear Sector Deal outlined a new framework designed to enable the development of small and advanced modular reactors in the UK. Our aim is to encourage the industry to bring forward technically and commercially viable small reactor projects to a vibrant UK marketplace. We believe the market is best-placed to identify the most promising designs. As an important centre of the nuclear industry, Cumbria should be well placed to actively participate in the development of modular reactors.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gambia: Politics and Government

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Gabon Government on the promotion of political stability in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government continues to monitor the political situation in Gabon. Our non-resident Ambassador and officials hold regular consultations with the Gabon Government. The most recent discussion was on 7 January with the Office of the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the attempted coup.

Sudan: Demonstrations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on protests in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan on its treatment of protesters during recent demonstrations.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is following closely the protests in Sudan and is concerned by the Government of Sudan's response, including the use of lethal force, arbitrary detentions, and by the targeting of those providing medical assistance. On 8 January, alongside Troika (UK, USA, Norway) partners and Canada, we released a statement urging the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, to ensure those responsible for the deaths of protestors are held to account, and for the immediate release of those held in detention without charge or trial. We continue to monitor the situation closely and raise our concerns at the highest levels. British Embassy Khartoum most recently did so with senior officials in the Government of Sudan on 13 February. When I met the Sudanese Foreign Minister on 22 January, I conveyed UK concerns about the Sudan Government response to protests, emphasising the importance of the rule of law and human rights.

Macedonia: NATO

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts on the proposed accession of North Macedonia to NATO.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK was delighted to sign North Macedonia's NATO Accession Protocol on 6 February. This is an important step towards strengthening Euro-Atlantic security and we look forward to welcoming North Macedonia as a full member of the North Atlantic alliance soon. I regularly discuss (now) North Macedonia, including NATO membership, with my counterparts, most recently at the Munich Security Conference last weekend, where I was also able personally to congratulate North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zaev.

Daphne Caruana Galizia

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Prime Minister raised the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia at her meeting with Prime Minister Muscat of Malta on 11 February 2019.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK Government has closely followed the case of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia since the assassination on 16 October 2017. I raised the matter with the Maltese Foreign Minister, Carmelo Abela in April last year and the Home Secretary sought an update on the progress of the criminal investigation from the Maltese Interior Minister during a meeting held in London last November. As the judicial process runs its course, our High Commission in Valletta remains in close touch with the Maltese authorities and stands ready to consider any request for assistance.

Zambia: Hippopotamus

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Zambia on the proposed cull of hippos by trophy hunters on the Luangwa river.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We are aware of the proposal for a cull of hippos on the Luangwa River in Zambia. Our High Commissioner has raised the matter with the Zambian Government. The importance of protecting wildlife was discussed with the Minister of Tourism and Arts at the October 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London. Our High Commissioner also discussed conservation issues with President Lungu in November 2018.

Northern Ireland Office

Knives: Crime

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with Police Service Northern Ireland on the level of knife crime in Northern Ireland; and what steps are being taken to tackle knife crime in Northern Ireland.

John Penrose: I recognise the public concern caused by knife crime attacks across the UK and the impact such attacks have had on local communities. The Offensive Weapons Bill aims to tackle knife crime, through measures including the introduction of Knife Crime Prevention Orders, which will give the police additional powers of intervention in dealing with young people who are most at risk of being involved in knife crime. The Rt hon Member will be aware that in Northern Ireland, knife crime is a devolved matter, and is the responsibility of the Department of Justice. My officials continue to support constructive engagement on the Bill with officials in the Devolved Administration.

Department of Health and Social Care

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help achieve the 95 per cent four hour A&E waiting time target in (a) Lewisham borough and (b) London.

Stephen Hammond: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 February 2019.The correct answer should have been:

NHS Improvement is working closely with Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust to achieve delivery of the 95% four hour accident and emergency (A&E) standard. Several steps are in place to support the Trust, including monthly oversight meetings between NHS Improvement’s senior leadership team and the Trust’s chief executive team to review performance; provision of NHS Improvement staff for on-site support to review long-stay patients and discharge those who are medically fit to be discharged; and work with mental health providers and the London Ambulance Service to support appropriate placement of mental health patients as well as improve patient handover performance. The Trust also received £500,000 of capital to develop and open a crisis café at the University Hospital Lewisham site, to help prevent avoidable mental health attendances at A&E.There are multiple actions underway to support reductions in waiting times for patients in London Emergency Departments. The London Urgent and Emergency Care programme and the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team provide dedicated expertise and support to several trusts1. In addition, circa £26 million of extra capital investment was allocated to trusts across London to increase beds, emergency department capacity, same day emergency care and acute mental health services ahead of winter. 1Lewisham and Greenwich, Kings’ College Hospital, Hillingdon, London North West, Imperial, Barking Havering and Redbridge, Barts, Whittingdon, North Middlesex and University College London Hospital.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Improvement is working closely with Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust to achieve delivery of the 95% four hour accident and emergency (A&E) standard. Several steps are in place to support the Trust, including monthly oversight meetings between NHS Improvement’s senior leadership team and the Trust’s chief executive team to review performance; provision of NHS Improvement staff for on-site support to review long-stay patients and discharge those who are medically fit to be discharged; and work with mental health providers and the London Ambulance Service to support appropriate placement of mental health patients as well as improve patient handover performance. The Trust also received £500,000 of capital to develop and open a crisis café at the University Hospital Lewisham site, to help prevent avoidable mental health attendances at A&E.There are multiple actions underway to support reductions in waiting times for patients in London Emergency Departments. The London Urgent and Emergency Care programme and the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team provide dedicated expertise and support to several trusts1. In addition, circa £26 million of extra capital investment was allocated to trusts across London to increase beds, emergency department capacity, same day emergency care and acute mental health services ahead of winter. 1Lewisham and Greenwich, Kings’ College Hospital, Hillingdon, London North West, Imperial, Barking Havering and Redbridge, Barts, Whittingdon, North Middlesex and University College London Hospital.

Care Homes: Ambulance Services

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many emergency ambulance calls to nursing homes in (a) Dover and (b) Deal there have been in the latest period for which information is available; what the average time taken was for ambulances to respond to those calls; and how many ambulances were involved in responding to those calls.

Stephen Hammond: Information is not available in the format requested. National and individual ambulance NHS trust level performance is available and is published monthly by NHS England. This can be found online at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Health Services

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 110 of the NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, what steps he plans to take to ensure that those responsible for developing Local Plans consult with relevant stakeholders; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The National Implementation Framework, to be published in the spring, will provide further information on how the NHS Long Term Plan will be delivered. As local areas begin to develop their implementation plans, staff, patients, the public and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to help local organisations determine what the NHS Long Term Plan means for their area, and how services need to adapt and improve in the short and medium term.NHS England is asking local health systems to start this engagement soon and expect local politicians to have an opportunity to be involved in this, as well as other local stakeholders, local partners, communities, service users and patients.Nationally, the National Health Service is working with Healthwatch England and the Voluntary and Community Sector Health and Wellbeing Alliance to provide additional support to local systems in their engagement with local communities.

General Practitioners: Oxford

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of GP appointment waiting times in Oxford.

Steve Brine: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 February 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The proportion of general practitioner (GP) appointments by date and time between booking date and appointment date in Oxford Clinical Commissioning Group for the months November 2017 to December 2018 is presented in the attached table. The data on GP appointments are from a new data collection and are still experimental i.e. the data and collection method are still being refined and improved. NHS Digital’s data on ‘time from booking to appointment’ does not take into consideration that many patients will be appropriately booking ahead as part of the continuity of care they receive for long-term conditions. Other factors that drive the time from a booking to an appointment include appointment availability at the practice, patient availability, the urgency of the appointment and GP advice.


PQ221835 attached table
(Word Document, 14.56 KB)




GP appointments Oxford CCG
(Word Document, 22.92 KB)

Steve Brine: The proportion of general practitioner (GP) appointments by date and time between booking date and appointment date in Oxford Clinical Commissioning Group for the months November 2017 to December 2018 is presented in the attached table. The data on GP appointments are from a new data collection and are still experimental i.e. the data and collection method are still being refined and improved. NHS Digital’s data on ‘time from booking to appointment’ does not take into consideration that many patients will be appropriately booking ahead as part of the continuity of care they receive for long-term conditions. Other factors that drive the time from a booking to an appointment include appointment availability at the practice, patient availability, the urgency of the appointment and GP advice.


PQ221835 attached table
(Word Document, 14.56 KB)




GP appointments Oxford CCG
(Word Document, 22.92 KB)

NHS: Pay

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider including NHS Staff currently on zero-hour contracts in the NHS Pay Deal.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service does not routinely hire staff on zero-hour contracts. However, many trusts operate local staff banks to help fill shift gaps, for example to cover staff leave. Those who are registered with the bank can choose to work the hours to suit their personal circumstances. The majority of people who are registered to work on trust banks will also have substantive Agenda for Change (AfC) employment contracts.The eligibility criteria for funding under the AfC pay and contract reform deal was published on 13 July last year. The criteria requires that organisations must employ their existing and new staff dynamically on the AfC contract. Those organisations that meet these criteria are obliged to implement the entire deal, pay and non-pay reform, not just head line pay, and should be compensated for the costs of doing so.The funding envelope for the multi-year AfC pay and contract reform deal included staff employed on the NHS staff bank. However, the terms and conditions of employment, including pay rates for bank staff are set locally by the NHS trust.

St James Hospital Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the bids received by NHS Property Services in relation to the St James Hospital site in Milton, Portsmouth.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Property Services is currently finalising commercial terms with the preferred bidder on St James’ Hospital. All bid details are treated as commercial in confidence to protect both the bidders and NHS Property Services’ interests. However, the sales price will be a matter of public record available on the land registry on completion.

Tuberculosis

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what level of uptake has been achieved by the new entrant latent TB testing and treatment programme; b) what plans have been put in place to (a) increase uptake, (b) reduce variance between local authority areas and (c) share best practice and whether the programme is on target to accrue the savings to the public purse described in the Collaborative TB Strategy for England.

Steve Brine: Test uptake among the eligible invited population in 2017 ranged between 19.4% and 82.4% depending on clinical commissioning group (CCG) area. In 2017, 27 CCGs reported treatment data; for the 1,364 people who tested positive for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in these areas, 60.3% accessed treatment. Overall treatment completion among this group stood at 71.0% in 2017. NHS England has invited CCGs with high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) to submit plans on how they will locally increase uptake of testing and treatment for LTBI, with the ability to access NHS England funding to support implementation of their plans. £35 million has been made available to support this work over the past four years. NHS England supports CCGs to develop local plans for increasing uptake of LTBI testing, including sharing best practice. This contributes to reducing variation between local authority areas. Modelling undertaken as part of the five-year TB strategy indicated that return on investment should begin to be recovered from year five onwards, with net savings at year 10 and beyond.

GP at Hand: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason NHS England lifted the ban on the Babylon GP at Hand plans to expand into Birmingham before the independent evaluation by IPOS Mori of that service is published next month.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding allocated to patients that sign up to the Babylon GP at Hand application is transferred to the Hammersmith and Fulham Care Commissioning Group where the application is hosted.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing compensation to GP practices that lose income as a result of patients signing up to the Babylon GP at Hand application.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether patients in Birmingham that sign up to the Babylon GP at Hand application are recorded as a patient of Hammersmith and Fulham CCG in London.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the trends in the level of patients presenting at (a) A&E Departments and (b) GP Walk-in Centres as a result of being deregistered from their local GP Practice after signing up for the Babylon GP at Hand application.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what safeguards his Department has put in place to ensure that patients that have signed up to Babylon GP at Hand application maintain access to a local GP practice in the event that they need to see a GP face-to-face.

Steve Brine: NHS England has considered the expansion of the service to Birmingham following initial concerns, in particular regarding access to immunisation and screening programmes for Babylon GP at Hand patients, and a solution has been identified. NHS England will now work together with NHS Hammersmith and Fulham and Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), national screening services, and Babylon GP at Hand to mobilise the service and agree a start date.General practice payments are made to practices according to their registered patient list size, so the funding for general practice care will follow the patients. NHS England will shortly engage on changes to out of area registration rules, some of the current payments to primary care providers and the mechanisms by which new providers can enter the market.The new General Practitioner Contract Framework made two changes to the current payment system:- the rurality index payment will be amended to apply to patients living within a practice catchment area only, rather than to all patients. This is to better reflect costs; and- the London adjustment will be amended to apply to patients resident in London, rather than registered with a London-based practice CCG allocations have been revised for 2019/20. Hammersmith and Fulham CCG’s allocation takes account of the increased list size of the GP at Hand practice, with the CCG’s funding growth determined by an assessment of the CCG’s fair share of overall funding and rules on the pace of change in funding allocations. All patients registered with the Babylon GP at Hand practice are recorded as patients of Hammersmith and Fulham CCG. Hammersmith and Fulham CCG have commissioned an independent evaluation of the Babylon GP at Hand practice. This will look at the impact of the service on patient experience, primary care workforce, use of other services, such as accident and emergency departments and walk-in centres, and system value. Babylon GP at Hand will provide physical premises in both London and Birmingham for those patients who require a face-to-face consultation. Under the current GP of Choice Policy, the CCGs where ‘out of area’ patients live are required to ensure out of hours care and home visits can be accessed by those patients in their resident area if they need it.

Social Services: Labour Turnover

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making to increase the recruitment and retention of staff in the social care sector.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is working alongside stakeholders in the adult social care sector to ensure there is the right number of people, with the right skills, knowledge and values to meet increasing demand, and deliver high quality, person-centred care and support.In recognition of this, on 12 February the Government launched a new national adult social care recruitment campaign. The campaign, ‘Every Day is Different’, showcases how rewarding and varied social care careers can be, with opportunities for progression and professional development. The campaign will run across February and March and raise the image and profile of the sector and encourage people with the right values to apply for current vacancies. The Government also continues to work with its delivery partner Skills for Care to provide a range of resources and practical toolkits for providers to help attract, train and retain staff.The upcoming Social Care Green Paper will set out the Department’s proposals for reform of the sector to put it on a more sustainable future footing. This will include a vision for workforce and proposals to boost recruitment and retention in the longer term.

NHS

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) community services and (b) social care are fully incorporated into the NHS Long Term Plan.

Caroline Dinenage: The Long Term Plan made clear the importance of moving care into the community, and the Government’s commitment to achieving this. It confirmed that over the next 10 years the National Health Service will deliver more care closer to home, and to support this at least an extra £4.5 billion pounds by 2023/24 will be invested in primary medical and community health services. This is the first time in the history of the NHS that real terms funding for primary and community health services is guaranteed to grow faster than the rising NHS budget overall. The Long Term Plan also highlighted the importance of expanded community multidisciplinary teams and improved responsiveness of community health response services. The Long Term Plan also set out improvements in social care that will be made by enhanced health in care homes, the comprehensive model for personalised care and local health and care plans. We recognise that decisions on future reform in health and social care must be aligned, and this is precisely why the Long Term Plan and the upcoming Social Care Green Paper have been developed in tandem.

NHS: Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of funding set aside for the NHS Long Term Plan will be used to fund (a) social care, (b) community care and (c) primary care.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service budget will increase by £33.9 billion in cash terms, the equivalent of £20.5 billion in real terms, by 2023/24, and funding for primary and community services will be at least £4.5 billion more, per year, in real terms by 2023/24, ensuring investment will grow faster than the rising NHS budget.Future funding decisions of the social care system beyond 2019/20 will be taken at the Spending Review later this year. However, we recognise that NHS and social care provision are inextricably linked. This Government has been clear that we will not allow the pressure from the social care system on the NHS to increase further.That is why we have already provided local authorities with an additional £240 million this financial year 2018/19 and £240 million next year 2019/20 for adult social care. We will also provide a further £410 million in 2019/20 which local authorities can use to improve social care for older people, people with disabilities, and children.

NHS: Staff

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to implement a workforce strategy to address concerns over workforce development within the NHS Long Term Plan.

Stephen Hammond: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, Chair of NHS Improvement, working closely with Sir David Behan, Chair of Health Education England, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key National Health Service interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan.Following the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan, Baroness Harding will present initial recommendations to the Department in spring 2019. A final workforce implementation plan is currently planned for publication later in 2019.Working groups set up to deliver the workforce implementation plan will consider the approach to workforce development and potential options for the future.

Social Services: EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of EU citizens in social care who will need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Caroline Dinenage: Skills for Care estimated that, in 2017/18, there were up to 82,500 jobs held by workers with a European Union nationality who would be eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme or for pre-settled status.Skills for Care’s published these estimates in September 2018, in their report, ‘The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’. This can be found at the following link:https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/NMDS-SC-intelligence/Workforce-intelligence/publications/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspxThe Prime Minister announced on 21 January 2019 that, as of 30 March 2019, all applications to the settlement scheme will be free. Additionally, where individuals have applied, or do apply, before that date, and are charged an application fee, then this fee will be refunded to them.The Department has undertaken a targeted communications campaign with stakeholders, employers, charities and representative bodies in the care sector. This is to ensure that as many of our EU workforce are aware of the straight forward and user-friendly scheme that allows them to secure their long-term rights to stay and work in the United Kingdom after we leave the EU.

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Dismissal

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent by East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust on (a) legal fees and (b) other costs associated with terminating the employment of Gordon Fleming and defending legal action brought by him.

Stephen Hammond: The total legal costs incurred by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, since 2014, in respect of all matters, proceedings and appeals involving Mr Gordon Fleming is £252,162.15 plus VAT. This figure includes disbursements and Counsel’s fees. The Trust is unable to quantify other costs.

Hospitals: Discharges

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to measure unsafe discharges from hospital.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many unsafe discharges have been recorded at (a) City Hospitals Sunderland, (b) University Hospital of Hartlepool and (c) University Hospital of North Durham in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: Patients should only be discharged when it is safe and clinically appropriate. Patients who may need support should only be discharged from hospital when there has been an assessment of the support they need to be discharged safely. Where patients are being transferred between care settings, this requires local health and care organisations to work together to ensure the transfers are centred around the needs of patients and their carers. There are no national published criteria for measuring unsafe discharge. Neither national data nor data for individual trusts relating to unsafe discharges are routinely collected centrally. Guidance and advice issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), for example ‘NICE Guideline NG27 – Transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care home settings for adults with social care needs’ - is focussed on recommendations for ensuring that hospital discharges are as safe as possible.

NHS: Drugs

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what definition will be used by the Government to determine a serious shortage of a medicine that will be used to trigger a Serious Shortage Protocol for a medicine under the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2019.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data source will be used to monitor stocks and availability of medicines in order to determine the need for a Serious Shortage Protocol under the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2019.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2019, what process will be followed to consult with relevant health care professionals in the development of advice contained in a Serious Shortage Protocol.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2019, what methods the Government plans to use to whether a Serious Shortage Protocol is necessary; what information such a decision would be based on; what level of consultation with medical experts the Government plans to seek on such protocols; and how the Government plans to engage in such consultation.

Steve Brine: The Department has well established processes to manage and mitigate the small number of medicine supply problems that may arise at any one time due to manufacturing or distribution issues and this has always been the case. The Department receives regular reports from the pharmaceutical industry about issues which may potentially interrupt the supply of medicines that may affect United Kingdom patients.From January this year, it became a mandatory requirement that pharmaceutical companies must report this information to us in a timely manner.A Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) is an additional tool to manage and mitigate medicine shortages. It would only be used in the exceptional and rare situation when other measures have been exhausted or are likely to be ineffective.In the case of a serious shortage, a SSP would only be issued by Ministers if clinicians advised that it was appropriate and after discussion with the manufacturer and/or marketing authorisation holder.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of NHS dentistry for adults in Cumbria.

Steve Brine: NHS England is responsible on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for commissioning dental services to meet local need and assessing the level of that need. NHS England advises that it is aware of and taking action to address identified shortfalls in dental provision particularly, but not exclusively, in South Cumbria. Action taken already in South Cumbria has included offering practices additional funding to take on additional patients.

Social Services: Migrant Workers

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on ensuring that the UK's withdrawal from the EU does not lead to a reduction in the number of social care workers.

Caroline Dinenage: My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a number of issues, including on immigration and the ability of foreign nationals from the European Union to work in the social care sector.The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels in the social care sector and we have been monitoring leaver and joiner rates of EU staff on a regular basis since the 2016 referendum. Our overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and continuously updated.We hugely value the contribution of EU staff working in social care and the Prime Minister has made it clear that we want them to stay. The Government has committed to removing the application fee for the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 March 2019, making it free to apply after that date. In addition, recruiting more people to work in the sector is a priority for the Government and we launched a national adult social care recruitment campaign on 12 February 2019. This will raise the profile of the sector, build awareness of the rich variety of careers on offer, and attract the right people, with the right values, to deliver the very best care. The campaign also supports providers to improve their recruitment and retention practices.

Nurses: Recruitment

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to encourage more people into nursing.

Stephen Hammond: There are more than 16,000 more nurses on our wards since May 2010. The Department of Health and Social Care has put in place significant actions to boost the supply of nurses, ranging from training more nurses, offering new routes into the profession, enhancing reward and pay packages to make nursing more attractive and improve retention, and encouraging those that have left to return to nursing. In 2018 NHS England and Health Education England ran an extensive communication campaign ‘we are the NHS’ which was focused on highlighting the positive image of nursing as a career.The Department has made available funding for up to 5,000 additional clinical placements for nursing degrees in England.Apprenticeships play a key role in ensuring the National Health Service has a future workforce, and the Department is committed to broadening routes into nursing. For the first time we now have a complete pathway of apprentice standards into nursing, from entry level Healthcare Support Worker, to Nursing Associate and onto the Nurse Degree Apprenticeship and Advanced Clinical Practice.The latest data from the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) shows that there has been a 4.5% increase in applicants to nursing or midwifery courses at English universities when compared to this time last year, 20181.The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next ten years the NHS will have the staff it needs. This will ensure that nurses are able to offer the expert compassionate care that they are committed providing.My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding Chair of NHS Improvement, working closely with Sir David Behan Chair of Health Education England, to undertake a programme of work to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider proposals to grow the workforce, which will include growing the nursing workforce in order to ensure that the NHS has a sustainable supply of future nurses. 1Latest UCAS data received on 7 February 2019 shows that 34,030 people from all domiciles have applied to study nursing and midwifery courses at English universities as at 15 January 2019.

Social Services

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money has been spent from the public purse on preparations for the Green Paper on social care.

Caroline Dinenage: We are unable to provide the information requested as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Breast Cancer: Nurses

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients with secondary breast cancer have a dedicated nurse specialist allocated to them.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the statement on page 72 of the Independent Cancer Taskforce's Cancer Strategy for 2015-2020 that  all NHS trusts should now be recording recurrent and secondary breast cancer patients, how many and what proportion of NHS trusts are undertaking such recording.

Steve Brine: The NHS Cancer Programme aims to improve access to cancer Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) for all cancer patients when they need it, including those with secondary breast cancer. Health Education England is also working to expand the number of CNS and develop clear CNS competencies and routes into training.The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) has mandated collection of breast cancer recurrence data in its Cancer Services and Outcomes Dataset (COSD) since 2013. Hospital trusts are also required to submit recurrence data in the Cancer Waiting Times (CWT) dataset. Data published on the NCRAS legacy website shows that of the 140 trusts that could be expected to be collecting data on breast cancer recurrence in 2016, 140 submitted data for 2016 diagnoses through the COSD or CWT data collection mechanisms. The NCRAS legacy website is available at the following link:http://www.ncin.org.uk/cancer_type_and_topic_specific_work/topic_specific_work/recurrence

Department for International Development

Venezuela: Humanitarian Aid

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment the Government has made of the humanitarian situation in Venezuela and its effect on Latin America.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government is extremely concerned about the situation in Venezuela, with the UN estimating that over four million people are suffering from malnourishment. As the situation has deteriorated, over three million Venezuelans have fled to neighbouring countries.   We will be providing a package of £6.5 million in aid to respond to the most severe health and nutrition needs in Venezuela and the region. DFID staff have been deployed in the region since last year and this package builds on our core support to the UN and Red Cross, operating since the early stages of the crisis. The UK Government continues to call for all actors to allow unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to meet the urgent needs of the Venezuelan people.

Kenya: Marie Stopes International

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2018 to Question 201152, when the Government last funded Marie Stopes International to provide abortion services in Kenya.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development has not funded Marie Stopes International to provide abortion services in Kenya.

Developing Countries: Abortion

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in which countries the Government has funded abortion services in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: DFID has a range of bilateral and multi-country programmes supporting a package of women’s reproductive and maternal health information and services. It is not possible to provide a break down by safe abortion or post-abortion care alone. DFID supports provision of safe abortion services as allowed by local laws and where access to abortion is highly restricted, we can help make the consequences of unsafe abortion more widely understood and can consider supporting policy reform.

Developing Countries: Abortion

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 173969, whether her Department holds data on (a) how much funding it has provided for abortion services and (b) how many abortion procedures were carried out using that funding for each project that her Department has funded since 1997.

Alistair Burt: All DFID programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the ‘Delivering Sustainable and Equitable Increases in Family Planning in Kenya’ programme, take an integrated approach in order to meet a wide range of women’s reproductive health needs. For example, providing a woman with holistic care for gender-based violence, HIV, counselling, post-abortion care and information on family planning. Because these services are integrated, it is not possible to disaggregate figures solely relating to safe abortion procedures.   The aim of DFID’s work on sexual and reproductive health and rights is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, increase the use of voluntary family planning, and give women control over their own bodies and lives.

Developing Countries: Abortion

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her Answers of 10 December 2018 to Question 199384 on Developing Countries: Abortion and of 21 December 2017 to Question 119743 on Marie Stopes International, for what reason those answers differ on the monitoring of figures; and what steps she is taking to ensure (a) transparency, (b) accountability and (c) trust in that policy area.

Alistair Burt: DFID takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights in order to meet a wide range of women’s reproductive health needs. Because these services are integrated it is not possible to disaggregate figures solely relating to safe abortion procedures.   The aim of DFID’s work on sexual and reproductive health and rights is to save the lives of women, reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, increase the use of voluntary family planning, and give women control over their own bodies and lives. DFID has robust monitoring and evaluation procedures to ensure UK taxpayers’ money is achieving the results we expect of it across all policy areas. Precise monitoring arrangements vary by project; however progress is always reviewed by DFID on an annual basis and these are publicly available. All of our reviews demonstrate confidence in the quality of Marie Stopes International’s services in developing countries.

Marie Stopes International

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will include in her Department's robust monitoring of the use of public money by Marie Stopes International and to provide oversight of that organisation's activities according to local law a request for its estimate of the number of abortions carried out in each country where it operates.

Alistair Burt: The aim of DFID’s work on sexual and reproductive health and rights is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, increase the use of voluntary family planning, and give women control over their own bodies and lives. Marie Stopes International (MSI) are a valued partner in our comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights work.DFID has robust monitoring and evaluation procedures to ensure UK taxpayers’ money is achieving the results we expect of it across all policy areas. Precise monitoring arrangements vary by project; and progress is always reviewed by DFID on an annual basis. All of our reviews demonstrate confidence in the quality of MSI’s services in developing countries. DFID funds cannot be used to fund any illegal activities. We treat allegations of any improper use of funds extremely seriously. The process for reporting allegations is on our website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

Nigeria: Marie Stopes International

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policy that UK aid cannot be used to fund illegal services of the halting by the Nigerien authorities of Marie Stopes International abortion procedures.

Alistair Burt: Marie Stopes International are a valued partner in our comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights work.   We have seen no evidence of any illegal activity in Niger on their part and no formal allegations have been made to us. DFID funds cannot be used to fund any illegal activities. We treat allegations of any improper use of funds extremely seriously. The process for reporting allegations is on our website. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

International Assistance

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the need for reporting requirements on multilateral aid contributions in addition to those delivered in adherence to the OECD DAC guidelines.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID reports UK Official Development Assistance multilateral aid contributions to the OECD DAC (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee) according to the DAC’s guidelines as part of Statistics on International Development, DFID’s annual National Statistics publication.   In addition, multilateral spend data is reported in DFID’s Annual Report (summarised in the main text, and in more detail in Annex B, tables B.1 and B.5).   In line with DFID programme rules, our investment in multilateral organisations is rigorously appraised before approval. Funding is clearly justified in relation to UK priorities, multilateral performance and value for money, and programmes are regularly assessed to ensure they are delivering and remain cost effective. Business cases and Annual Reviews are available on the UK’s Development Tracker website. The contribution of multilaterals to key development objectives is included on DFID’s Results Pages on GOV.UK.

Humanitarian Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2019 to Question 217654, what steps were taken to determine which Grand Bargain commitments are the most critical enablers of transformative change.

Alistair Burt: DFID is committed to the Grand Bargain. We are focussing on areas which are central to the UK’s Humanitarian Reform Policy of saving as many lives as possible in humanitarian crises, whilst ensuring value for money in the prioritised allocation of humanitarian resources - where DFID can have the strongest impact on achieving a more effective, efficient and accountable humanitarian system.   Evidence shows that cash can be cheaper to deliver and more effective than sending goods in-kind. Cash promotes the dignity of crisis affected populations by allowing them to prioritise needs themselves, and can contribute to supporting local markets in times of crisis. DFID co-leads the Grand Bargain workstream on cash and has been a world-leader in driving the increased use of cash in humanitarian response.   Accountability to people in crises is critical to improving the quality and impact of humanitarian assistance. Through our Grand Bargain commitments, we are working closely with other donors and aid organisations to ensure people receiving aid are included in the decisions which affect their lives.   The introduction of independent Joint Needs Assessments is vital to ensure a strong evidence-base, which leads to a stronger prioritisation of humanitarian assistance in responses based on the severity and urgency of need. This has the potential to reduce conflicts of interest between agencies fundraising for their own appeals, ensure better value for money and introduce more accountability into the system.

Humanitarian Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to collect data on the transaction costs incurred by her Department’s reporting requirements for UN humanitarian agencies.

Alistair Burt: The UK will continue to be a good humanitarian donor who lives up to its Grand Bargain commitments. We provide 30% of our humanitarian funding as core or unearmarked funds. The Grand Bargain workstream on reducing earmarking noted that this flexible funding can reduce grant management transaction costs, amongst other benefits.   We do not plan to undertake an analysis of the transaction costs of our reporting requirements. Collecting data on transaction costs across all of our humanitarian funding would be extremely resource intensive and the results would vary considerably, reflecting the specific context, access constraints and the volume of funding we are providing. However, DFID retains a dialogue with UN partners, where issues of this nature can be raised.

Humanitarian Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2019 to Question 217656, what steps are being taken to streamline and standardise her Department’s reporting requirements for UN agencies.

Alistair Burt: Where possible, DFID aims to draw on partners’ existing reporting systems and management information to monitor and evaluate our programmes. For example, our UN core funding is linked directly to agencies’ own results frameworks and annual reporting cycles. In addition, where DFID co-funds UN programmes with other donors, where possible, joint reporting arrangements are put in place.   However, large, complex projects in high risk contexts expecting to deliver big results may require additional reporting. As set out in our management response to the ICAI review of the UK’s approach to funding the UN humanitarian system, we will soon launch a new programme delivery learning package for staff to support greater understanding and consistency of reporting requirements across DFID’s country network. We will also look to ensure that lessons generated through the Grand Bargain harmonised reporting pilots process inform our approach to reporting, whilst still ensuring close oversight and accountability for tax payer funds.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Public Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Attorney General, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s Office are currently holding 32 records that have reached their time limit for transfer to The National Archives which will be declared to The National Archive as part of the normal annual reporting process.

Ministry of Justice

Electronic Tagging: Contracts

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which companies his Department has contracted to deliver electronic tagging services; and what the (a) value and (b) duration is of each of those contracts.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 04 February 2019



Electronic monitoring is a vital tool in protecting the public by robustly monitoring offenders in the community and defendants on bail. Electronic Monitoring provides a proportionate and value-for-money alternative to prison in support of the subjects’ journey through rehabilitation. The Electronic Monitoring service is delivered through contracts with the following suppliers: Supplier Service Contract Duration Contract ValueForecast spend over the life of the contract Capita Business ServicesElectronic Monitoring - Field Services (Bridge Services Contract)6 years from 01/02/2015£309,600,000£219,000,000 (Average: £36.5m per annum)G4S Monitoring TechnologiesG4S Electronic Monitoring Hardware (BAU)04/11/2016-03/11/2019£15,000,000£12,900,000 (Average: £4.3m per annum)Telefonica UK LtdElectronic Monitoring - Network6 years 10 months from 01/08/2014£3,200,000£3,000,000 (Average: £440k per annum)

Funerals

Mr Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the procedure to follow for dealing with the estates of people for whom they assume responsibility for a public health funeral.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has not issued guidance to local authorities on this issue.

Trials: Landlords and Small Businesses

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court cases in relation to disputes between landlords and small and medium-sized enterprises there were in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally.

Duty Solicitors

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the long-term viability of the criminal duty solicitor scheme in England and Wales.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is clear that there are sufficient solicitors to undertake criminal legal aid-funded cases and will make sure this continues to be the case. The Legal Aid Agency monitors duty solicitor coverage on an ongoing basis and where issues are identified, takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public. The Government has also commenced a review of all criminal legal aid fee schemes, including the criminal duty solicitor fee scheme, which will report back by the end of Summer 2020.

Duty Solicitors: Carshalton and Wallington

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the long-term viability of the criminal duty solicitor scheme in Carshalton and Wallington constituency.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is clear that there are sufficient solicitors to undertake criminal legal aid-funded cases and will make sure this continues to be the case. The Legal Aid Agency monitors duty solicitor coverage on an ongoing basis and where issues are identified, takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public. The LAA recently ran a consultation with criminal legal aid firms in the Borough of Sutton that includes the Carshalton and Wallington constituency. The consultation was run to ensure on-going duty solicitor provision in the Borough of Sutton in response to the decision by the Metropolitan Police that detainees that would have been taken to Sutton police station will now be taken to Bromley and Croydon police stations. As a result of the consultation, these detainees will continue to be served by duty solicitors on the Sutton Duty Scheme when they are taken to either Bromley or Croydon Police Station. The Government has also commenced a review of all criminal legal aid fee schemes, including the criminal duty solicitor fee scheme, which will report back by the end of Summer 2020.

Working Links

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Working Links who hold the contract to supervise offenders on supervision in Wales and South West England has ceased to trade.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether in the event of Working Links ceasing to trade there will be a tendering process for the continued supervision of offenders in Wales and the South West of England.

Edward Argar: I refer the Hon. Member to the written statement the Secretary of State made to the House on 18 February. Our central priority is of course to protect the public, ensuring that we have the right supervision of offenders in place, and that probation staff are supported in their important work. Working Links (Employment) Limited and its three Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC): Wales CRC; Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire CRC; and Dorset, Devon and Cornwall CRC went into administration on 14 February 2019. As a part of its contingency approach to this pending event the MOJ undertook a competitive process inviting participation from all those CRCs that could take on the additional services in Wales and the South West without breaching the 25% Market Share Cap applied in the original Transforming Rehabilitation procurement in 2014. This led to the selection of Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) CRC as our preferred provider with whom we then conducted detailed commercial negotiations prior to entering into contract on Friday 15 February. In line with plans for future probation delivery in Wales, we intend for offender management services in Wales to be transferred to HMPPS before the end of the current contractual period and we will work with KSS to accelerate this process. We will announce plans later this year for the future of the probation system as a whole, following termination of CRC contracts in 2020.

Working Links

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that employees of Working Links in Wales and South West England will continue to be paid if their employer ceases to trade.

Edward Argar: I refer the Hon. Member to the written statement the Secrtary of State made to the House on 18 February. Our central priority is of course to protect the public, ensuring that we have the right supervision of offenders in place, and that probation staff are supported in their important work. You will be aware that Working Links (Employment) Limited and its three Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC): Wales CRC; Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire CRC; and Dorset, Devon and Cornwall CRC went into administration on 14 February 2019. In order to maintain service continuity, we transferred the services previously provided by the Working Links’ CRCs to Kent, Surrey and Sussex CRC (owned by Seetec) on 15 February 2019. Provision is in place to ensure that all former Working Links CRC staff will be paid as normal this month.

Ministry of Justice: Public Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

Edward Argar: At 18th February 2019, the total number of outstanding records awaiting transfer to The National Archives from the Ministry was 4,779. The Ministry is fully committed to meeting its legal obligations under the Public Records Act 1958 and the requirements set out in the 20-year transition rule and will do so by the end of the transition period in 2023. The Ministry of Justice reviews over 30,000 Crown Court, Court of Appeal and policy records each year to fulfil its statutory obligations of selecting records for permanent preservation.

Trials: ICT

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is entitled to (a) recover costs and (b) impose financial penalties from suppliers responsible for the recent IT failures in the courts system.

Lucy Frazer: The contract in question does contain the usual rights for claiming costs where it is appropriate to do so, and also contains penalty clauses.

Community Orders: Pilot Schemes

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Community Sentence Treatment Requirements pilot scheme.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and Public Health England have jointly developed a Community Sentence Treatment Requirements protocol. This aims to increase the use of community sentences with treatment requirements for mental health and substance misuse issues. The protocol is currently being tested in five test bed sites within England (as health is devolved in Wales). These sites are Milton Keynes, Northampton, Birmingham, Sefton and Plymouth. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019 includes a commitment by NHS England to build on these pilots. Decisions on how the use of the protocol could be extended will be made in due course, based on the evaluation of the test bed sites.

Asylum: Appeals

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many pending tribunals involving asylum application cases there were on 1 January of each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The number of registered asylum appeals outstanding in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal as at 1st January2 in each of the years requested is as follows:20186,407201710,143201610,49720154,83820142,045  1 The data are Management Information taken from the tribunal’s case management system. They do not form part of the published statistics.² Outstanding data on 1st January is at close of business on 31st December of the previous year. Tribunal statistics are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics HM Courts & Tribunals Service has worked extensively to reduce the outstanding caseload and improve timeliness for all appeal types in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber. This has seen the live caseload in the First-tier Tribunal more than halve from 64,800 to 31,500 between July 2016 and September 2018. The average duration has also improved from 52 weeks in the period July to September 2017 to 39 weeks in the period July to September 2018. For asylum appeals in the same period the average time has come down from 28 weeks to 25 weeks.

Coroners: Legal Aid Scheme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inquests were granted legal aid for civil representation; what the average amount awarded was for those cases; and how much funding was allocated for that representation in each year since 2013.

Edward Argar: Legal aid is available for representation under the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme. Legal aid is also available for initial advice and assistance prior to any application for civil representation becoming necessary. The provision of legal aid for inquests did not change substantively under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). The number of certificates granted for civil representation at an inquest in each complete financial year since 2013 is shown below: Financial YearApplications granted/part granted2013-14542014-151102015-161652016-171652017-18177 The figures below show how many cases concluded in each financial year, and have had all claims associated with these paid in full. Please note that some cases will be continuing and will therefore costs associated with these will still be outstanding. FYCosts (£)Volume of cases started in that year which have completedAverage costs per matter (£)2013-14350,1743111,2962014-15597,313659,1892015-16752,686918,2712016-17677,892808,4742017-18197,333335,980 The budget for the legal aid fund is set by MoJ and payments are made from this on a demand-led basis based on the application of the applicable means and merits eligibility criteria. Funding is not ‘allocated’ for specific categories of law or types of legal aid.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Office of the Public Guardian is taking to ensure that non-UK EU citizens within its remit register for settled status.

Edward Argar: The Office of the Public Guardian remit covers England and Wales. This is a matter for the attorneys and deputies to consider as part of their best interest considerations towards the donor/clients. It is not something OPG can insist upon. If the donor/client is disadvantaged, e.g. through lack of access to healthcare and benefits or Local Authority support because of the failure to apply for settled status, then this may be an issue for OPG to consider when determining whether decisions are being made in the best interest of the donor/client. OPG will review its guidance as appropriate.

Treasury

Utilities: Nationalisation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has made an estimate of the cost of nationalising (a) the National Grid and the (b) water, (c) electricity and (d) gas companies of England and Wales.

Robert Jenrick: Her Majesty’s Government has conducted no formal assessment of the cost of nationalising the National Grid, the water companies, and the electricity and gas companies of England and Wales. The Government has no plans to renationalise the utilities. It remains fully committed to a model of private ownership with strong independent economic regulation. It has therefore not produced any formal assessment of the cost of nationalisation.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Damien Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will (a) undertake a review of the compensation afforded to people affected by Equitable Life and (b) issue guidance on recourse available to people affected in Southport constituency who have either not been paid out or have received insufficient compensation.

John Glen: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme closed to claims in 2015. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme. There are no plans to reopen the Payment Scheme or review the funding allocation made to it.

Treasury: Public Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury currently holds the following legacy records (pre-1994): 23,310- Records still to be reviewed, retained by means of Retention Instrument9,645- Records selected for transfer to The National Archives, retained by means of Retention Instrument55,600- Records awaiting destruction11,774- Records planned for transfer in calendar year 201913- Records retained for an inquiry or investigation526- Records and extracts retained from transferred records

Insurance: Cross Border Cooperation

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to tackle the uncertainty of cross-border insurance arrangements in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

John Glen: The Government and the regulators have taken steps to avoid or minimise disruption to financial services, including insurance, in a no deal. The Government has legislated for a temporary permissions regime (TPR) that will allow EEA firms, including insurers, currently passporting into the UK to continue operating in the UK for up to three years after exit, while they apply for full authorisation from UK regulators and complete any necessary restructuring. The statutory instrument that implements the TPR was made law in November 2018. Furthermore, the Government and the regulators have taken steps to ensure that any EEA contractual obligations with UK customers, including with insurance policyholders, that are not captured by the TPR can continue to be met by legislating for a financial services contracts regime (FSCR). The statutory instrument that implements the FSCR was laid in Parliament in January 2019 and has been approved by both Houses of Parliament. However, the UK cannot unilaterally determine the conditions for UK firms' future access into the EU. A number of Member States, including Ireland, have announced measures addressing cross-border provision of financial services, including insurance, from the UK into the EU. And the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) issued recommendations to European regulators which seek to minimize the detriment to policyholders with cross-border insurance contracts.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding (a) Ashfield District Council and (b) Broxtowe Borough Council have received from the Homelessness Relief Fund.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Local authorities, including both Ashfield District Council and Broxtowe Borough Council, receive funding to prevent and relieve homelessness from my Department. This includes preventing homelessness core funding and flexible homelessness support grant funding. However, we do not operate a fund called the Homelessness Relief Fund and are therefore unable to provide the specific information you request.

Local Government: Northamptonshire

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will request the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to undertake a structural review under Sections four to six of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 as part of considerations for new local government arrangements for Northamptonshire.

Rishi Sunak: We have recently undertaken the statutory consultation on the unitary proposal submitted by seven Northamptonshire councils, and my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State, now intends as soon as practicable to decide whether, subject to Parliamentary approval, to implement that proposal. We do not therefore intend to make a request under section 4 of the 2007 Act for the Local Government Boundary Commission to advise on that proposal.

Multiple Occupation

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings in planning class C3 have been converted to houses of multiple occupancy class C4 without a planning application since the change to regulations on 1 October 2010.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has any plans to revert to the regulatory regime for planning consent for small houses of multiple occupancy that pertained from 6 April 2010 to 30 September 2010.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to enable and encourage local authorities to adopt article 4 directions in respect of houses of multiple occupation by making that process more efficient.

Kit Malthouse: The Government has no plans to remove the permitted development rights that allow for change of use between class C(3) dwelling houses and a class C(4) houses in multiple occupation. We do not hold data on the number of dwelling houses that have converted to houses in multiple occupation since 1 October 2010. Paragraph 53 of the National Planning Policy Framework confirms that the use of Article 4 directions to remove national permitted development rights should be limited to situations where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the well-being of the area.

Local Government Finance: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2019 to Question 215579, by what process those funds were allocated.

Rishi Sunak: The funding referred to is part of a £40 million allocation of funding to increase local authorities’ capacity to plan and prepare for Brexit, split between 2018/19 and 2019/20. The funds were allocated on a flat rate basis such that every upper tier authority, lower tier authority and combined authority received the same amount. Unitary authorities received the sum of the upper and lower tier allocations. Funding was split evenly between the two years.

Ministry of Defence

HMS Audacious

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long HMS Audacious has been in a construction phase.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when HMS Audacious is planned to begin (a) sea trials and (b) service.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long HMS Anson has been in a construction phase.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when sea trials of HMS Anson will commence; and when she will be in service.

Stuart Andrew: AUDACIOUS commenced manufacture in 2007 and is expected to enter sea trials later this year. ANSON commenced manufacture in 2010 and is expected to enter sea trials in the early 2020s. The planned in-service dates for Royal Navy submarines are withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Hawk Aircraft: Procurement

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to secure future orders for BAE's Hawk aircraft.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with other Government Departments and BAE Systems to promote the world leading Hawk Advanced Jet Training aircraft. Building on Qatar's commitment to acquire the Hawk aircraft we continue to pursue the interest of a number of countries in the platform.The UK does not have any immediate plans to acquire additional Hawk aircraft.

Veterans: Employment

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will include the scaffolding industry in the career development support it provides for serving military personnel as they come to the end of service.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides all Service leavers with resettlement provision to help prepare them for entering the civilian job market and to make a successful transition to employment, or achieve the wider vocational outcome they seek. The provision entitles Service leavers, depending on their discharge category, to duty time, financial assistance and access to Career Transition Partnership (CTP) Services.The MOD funded CTP provision includes workshops, seminars, career consultancy, resettlement training advice and vocational training, together with job finding support. This provision promotes employment opportunities across all sectors, including the scaffolding and construction sector. The CTP publishes 21 industry guides, including a guide specifically promoting the Construction industry. This sector is recognised as a good option for some of our highly talented Service leavers; however, the choice of post-discharge employment sector must remain with the individual.All employers are encouraged to engage with the CTP through https://www.ctp.org.uk/employers. By registering with CTP, employers gain access to RightJob to freely advertise available jobs, they can attend employment fairs and are assigned a CTP Employment Relationship Manager (ERM).

Defence: Space

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish his Department's military space strategy.

Stuart Andrew: Following the Prime Minister's December announcement that the UK would not use the Galileo satellite system for Defence purposes, and the release of the Modernising Defence Programme report, the Ministry of Defence has been assessing our space capabilities, coherence and requirements. Once this short work is complete we will publish the Defence Strategic Guidance on Space.

Ministry of Defence: Serco-Denholm

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of annual payments made by his Department to Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited under the Future Provision of Marine Services contract to date.

Stuart Andrew: Records available show that annual payments by the Ministry of Defence to Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited under the original Future Provision of Marine Services contract, up to 31 December 2018, total £716 million.

Ministry of Defence: Serco-Denholm

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) date and (b) location of new vessels introduced by Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited under the Future Provision of Marine Services contract since the start of that contract.

Stuart Andrew: Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited have introduced 29 new vessels under the Future Provision of Marine Services contract: Location VesselYear ClydeSD OILMAN2009ClydeSD EVA2009ClydeSD CLYDE RACER2008ClydeSD CLYDE SPIRIT2008ClydeSD DEPENDABLE2009ClydeSD RELIABLE2009ClydeSD RESOURCEFUL2010ClydeSD JUPITER2009ClydeSD NORTHERN RIVER2010KyleSD RAASAY2009PortsmouthSD VICTORIA2008PortsmouthSD OCEANSPRAY2010PortsmouthSD NAVIGATOR2009PortsmouthSD SOLENT RACER2008PortsmouthSD SOLENT SPIRIT2008PortsmouthSD CHRISTINA2010PortsmouthSD SUZANNE2010PortsmouthSD INDEPENDENT2009PortsmouthSD INDULGENT2010PortsmouthSD TEMPEST2018PortsmouthSD BOUNTIFUL2010DevonportSD TAMAR RACER2008DevonportSD TAMAR SPIRIT2008DevonportSD EILEEN2010DevonportSD DEBORAH2010DevonportSD TILLY2008DevonportSD MARS2008DevonportSD HERCULES2009DevonportSD WATERPRESS2010

Ministry of Defence: Serco-Denholm

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of sub-contractors have been engaged by Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited to deliver the Future Provision of Marine Services contract; and what the value of each such sub-contract is.

Stuart Andrew: Serco Denholm Marine Services have sub-contracted the entire service provision to Serco Marine Ltd, who in turn have three main sub-contractors for the provision of specialist services. The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the value of each sub-contract as this is a matter for the company.

Ministry of Defence: Serco-Denholm

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian (a) seafarer, (b) dock and (c) marine engineering staff, including sub-contractors, were employed under the Future Provision of Marine Services contract between his Department and Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited in each year since 2007 to date.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence does not hold information regarding the number of staff employed under the contract; this is a matter for the company.

Ministry of Defence: Serco-Denholm

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of the Future Provision of Marine Services contract between his Department and Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited.

Stuart Andrew: In 2017, as part of the established review process of this contract, the Strategic Partnering Board chaired by Navy Command accepted and agreed the value for money review by the Reshaping Maritime Services project. This confirmed that the contract with Serco Denholm Marine Services Limited provided good value for money and the appropriate savings for the Ministry of Defence.

Meteor Missiles: Exports

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether German licensing policy on the re-export of German-made components in Meteor missiles is blocking or delaying exports of the missile from the UK to Saudi Arabia.

Stuart Andrew: We continue to assess the implications of the reported developments in German licensing policy for current and future export business. The details of the commercial arrangement underpinning the UK supply of military equipment and services to Saudi Arabia is confidential to the two Governments and the release of this information is therefore likely to prejudice relations.

Armed Forces: Joint Exercises

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2019 to Question 219358 on Armed Forces: Joint Exercises, if he will publish the number of UK personnel that will take part in Exercise Joint Warrior.

Mark Lancaster: It is anticipated that approximately 4,000 UK Armed Forces personnel and Defence civil servants will be involved in Exercise Joint Warrior.

HMS Queen Elizabeth: Deployment

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 219357 on HMS Queen Elizabeth: Deployment, what the full range of capabilities are that will be available to the Maritime Task Group.

Mark Lancaster: While the precise composition of a Maritime Task Group would depend on operational circumstances at that time, we will be able to draw from a range of modern and highly capable vessels, such as the Type 45 Destroyers, Type 23 Frigates, the Astute Class submarines and, in the longer term, the Type 26 Frigates.For operational security reasons, we do not comment on specific capabilities as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the West Lancashire constituent, Ronald Hillier, on his migration to universal credit, if she will write to (a) Mr Hillier and (b) the hon. Member for West Lancashire to provide a detailed legal explanation of the deductions made to his benefits as requested in previous correspondence between her Department and the hon. Member for West Lancashire.

Alok Sharma: A reply from the Department was sent to the Hon. Member on 10 January and I followed this up with a letter to the Hon. Member on 20 February.

Motability: Children

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216380, what the timetable is for Motability to share their plans to increase the scale of the project to support families with children under the age of three that rely on bulky medical equipment.

Sarah Newton: After being introduced by the Department, Motability and the Family Fund have developed and implemented the pilot for under 3’s. We are not directly involved in the delivery of this initiative. Motability has informed us that they intend to share their plans on this proposed project with us in the near future.

Personal Independence Payment: Stress

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusions of the study published in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ BJPsych Open journal in January 2019, which found that claimants with mental stress are 2.4 times more likely than physical health claimants to lose their benefit when moving from disability living allowance to personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: Many Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants have not undergone any kind of assessment of their needs for several years. Their condition and their needs arising from it may have changed substantially; therefore, we would expect to see some variation in reassessment outcomes between conditions. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a fairer benefit, which takes a much wider look at the way an individual’s health condition or disability impacts them on a daily basis, ensuring that individuals get the right level of support. PIP is a better benefit for people with mental health conditions. At the core of PIP’s design is the principle that non-physical conditions should be given the same recognition as physical ones. The number of working age people in receipt of DLA or PIP with a mental health condition has increased by nearly a fifth since PIP was first introduced in 2013, and a higher proportion of all PIP claimants receive the top rates than under DLA: 65% get the enhanced Daily Living component of PIP compared to 22% under DLA; and 35% get the enhanced mobility component compared to 10% under DLA.

Social Security Benefits

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that parity of esteem between mental and physical health extends to the social security system.

Sarah Newton: This Department is committed to providing the best possible support to people who have health conditions and disabilities. Assessments used in determining entitlement to disability and incapacity benefits have been designed to assess the impacts of both mental and physical health conditions, and looks at the individual and what they are able and capable of doing, rather than assessing by condition. We also provide a wide range of support designed to help people better manage their conditions, to live more independent lives and take positive steps to return to work, where this is right for the individual. Universal Credit is simplifying the benefits system and provides enhanced personalised support for people. All claimants, including vulnerable claimants and those with mental health conditions, receive continuous tailored support managed through personal work coaches, who know each person. We have started to deliver additional training in mental health that will be available to work coaches to build their expertise and provide the most effective support. Work coaches work closely with people on Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance equivalent and agree personalised support to help move them closer to the workplace.

Employment and Support Allowance: Disqualification

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants in receipt of the limited capability for work element have been sanctioned in the most recent 12 months for which information is available.

Sarah Newton: Only claimants of employment and support allowance placed in the work related activity group (WRAG) receive the limited capability for work element. The number of employment and support allowance claimants in the WRAG group who were sanctioned last year is published: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtmlGuidance for users is available at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment claimants have been required to attend a second face-to-face assessment before a decision on their entitlement has been made in the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants have been offered a flexible support fund payment in the last 12 month period to assist with upfront childcare costs.

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre Plus work coaches have allocated a flexible support fund payment to a universal credit claimant in the last 12 months to assist with upfront childcare costs.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not held in a format that can be easily disaggregated and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Scotland on provision of services for lone parents and disadvantaged families by (a) local authorities and (b) third sector organisations.

Justin Tomlinson: We have not made an assessment of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Scotland on provision of services for lone parents and disadvantage families by Local Authorities and third party sector organisations.We are committed to helping parents into work. Childcare is essential in enabling parents to work, although we recognise that this can cause additional financial difficulty.Universal Credit claimants are able to claim up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, compared to 70 per cent on the legacy system. People with an offer of paid work can also get childcare costs paid a month in advance.On 11 January 2019, Secretary of State Rt. Hon Amber Rudd MP announced measures that will provide increased support for Universal Credit (UC) claimants. This included piloting a more flexible approach to claimants reporting childcare costs, which will allow people to be reimbursed for childcare even when they aren’t able to provide immediate evidence.

Universal Credit: Fife

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2019 to Question 218361, whether she plans to make an assessment of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Fife on the provision of services for lone parents and disadvantaged families by local authorities and third party sector organisations in the next six months.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department currently has no plans to make this assessment. We do continue to evaluate Universal Credit as it is delivered. Research and analysis is conducted to assist and inform the evaluation and the expansion of Universal Credit, focusing specifically on the effects of Universal Credit on claimants’ behaviours and outcomes. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-evaluation-framework-2016.Universal Credit spending will be £2 billion higher compared to the system it replaces, meaning on average £300 extra per year for a family on Universal Credit relative to the legacy system.We have implemented a number of changes to help families on Universal Credit. For example, work allowance rates will be increased by £1000 from April 2019, directing additional support to some of the most vulnerable low paid working families.Furthermore, New Burdens funding has been provided to local authorities to cover additional costs associated with rollout.

Universal Credit: Young People

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) are currently in and (b) have been active in the Universal Credit Youth Obligation Support Programme; how many people who are active in that programme have been sanctioned; how long those people have been sanctioned for; and for what reason those people have been sanctioned.

Alok Sharma: We are clerically collecting Management Information on the number of programme participants from January 2019. This is the first month in which we will have fully rolled out the programme across the entire country. We will consider whether this information can be published in due course, subject to appropriate quality assurance checks. The information requested on sanctions is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Young People

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have entered full-time work with a permanent contract after completing the Universal Credit Youth Obligation Support Programme; how many people have been placed into zero-hour contracts after completing that programme; and how many have re-entered that programme after finishing a short-term contract.

Alok Sharma: Information on the type of employment entered by those who have completed the Youth Obligation Support Programme and the number of re-entries into the programme is not centrally recorded and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Young People

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which industries people who have completed the Youth Obligation Support Programme have been placed in; how many people have been placed in each such industry; and how many people did not complete that programme.

Alok Sharma: Information on the industry outcomes of those who have completed the Youth Obligation Support Programme is not centrally recorded and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Child Maintenance Service: Correspondence

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2019 to Question 215250, how many responses to Child Maintenance Service enquiries from MPs' offices have been completed later than the initial 15 days response time.

Justin Tomlinson: Information about the performance of Departments and Agencies on handling correspondence from Members is published annually by way of a written statement by the Cabinet Office. The most recent available figures are those covering 2017 – official record vol. 643 HCWS22(The Child Maintenance figures are included in the figures for Director General)

Winter Fuel Payments: Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk received winter fuel payments in each of the last five winter periods; and what the annual cost of winter fuel payments in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk was in each of the last five years.

Guy Opperman: Figures for the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients in the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency are given in the table below. 2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/1825,02024,76024,46024,15023,770 Figures for the annual cost of Winter Fuel Payment from the past five winters is not available at constituency level.

Cold Weather Payments: Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk received cold weather payments in each of the last five winter periods; and what the annual cost of cold weather payments in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk was in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: The Cold Weather Payment scheme is administered at weather station level rather than any other standard GB geography such as constituency level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0oC or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March). The constituency of Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk covers all or part of the following postcode areas: DG14, EH37, EH38, EH43 and TD1-15. The above postcode areas are covered by four weather stations: Charterhall, Edinburgh Gogarbank, Eskdalemuir and Salsburgh. Qualifying individuals living in this area will have received a payment in respect of a seven-day period of Cold Weather, as shown in Table 1. Table 1 Estimated number of Cold Weather Payment recipients, by year and weather stationWeather station2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Charterhall006,00006,0001Edinburgh Gogarbank000072,0001Eskdalemuir05,00015,00005,0003Salsburgh019,000135,000034,00021 There were two triggers at this weather station; recipients will have received two payments in that year. 2 There were four triggers at this weather station; recipients will have received four payments in that year. 3 There were five triggers at this weather station; recipients will have received five payments in that year. Estimated expenditure for Cold Weather Payment recipients covered by Charterhall, Edinburgh Gogarbank, Eskdalemuir and Salsburgh weather stations can be seen in Table 2, along with the annual total for the four weather stations. Table 2 Estimated Expenditure of Cold Weather Payments, by year  and weather stationWeather station2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Charterhall£0.0m£0.0m£0.1m£0.0m£0.3mEdinburgh Gogarbank£0.0m£0.0m£0.0m£0.0m£3.6mEskdalemuir£0.0m£0.2m£0.1m£0.0m£0.6mSalsburgh£0.0m£0.9m£0.9m£0.0m£3.4mTotal£0.0m£1.1m£1.1m£0.0m£7.9m  Charterhall, Edinburgh Gogarbank, Eskdalemuir and Salsburgh weather stations cover the following postcode areas, in Table 3, which include constituencies other than Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk. We estimate that 313,000 payments to 117,000 recipients, totalling £7.9 million expenditure, were made in this area as a whole in respect of the triggers in 2017/18. We are not able to break this figure down to a lower level. Table 3 Postcode sectors mapped to Weather StationsWeather stationPostcode Sectors CoveredCharterhallNE71, TD1-6, TD8, TD10-15.Edinburgh GogarbankEH1-42, EH47-49, EH51-55, FK1-7, FK9-10, KY3, KY11-12.EskdalemuirDG3-4, DG10-11, DG13-14, ML12, TD7, TD9.SalsburghEH43-46, G65, G67-68, ML1-3, ML6-11.  Notes The number of recipients and payments given here is an estimate as information on the exact number is not readily available. These figures are produced by determining the volume of eligible recipients in each weather station area at the start of the winter season and using these figures throughout the winter to estimate payments and expenditure based on the actual triggers recorded. The number of payments made is not necessarily the total number of individuals benefitting from a Cold Weather Payment. Any individuals making a joint claim for one of the qualifying benefits, such as a couple living together, will receive one payment between them rather than one payment each. Furthermore, if a weather station triggers more than once throughout a cold weather season then the recipients will receive more than one payment. Estimates of Cold Weather Payments are published weekly during the Cold Weather season. The latest published estimates can be found at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/social-fund-cold-weather-payments The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (CWP) scheme provides help to individuals on benefits who are the most vulnerable to the cold. Eligibility to receive CWP is detailed on the Cold Weather Payment Eligibility page which can be found at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment/eligibility

Social Security Benefits: Cancer

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the merits of changing disability living allowance and personal independence payments to enable young cancer patients to get payments backdated from the day of diagnosis.

Sarah Newton: Other than for those who are terminally ill, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability rather than a diagnosis. Primary legislation sets out that a claimant cannot be entitled to DLA or PIP for any period prior to the date of claim.

Personal Independence Payment: Terminal Illnesses

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will extend the Special Rules for Terminal Illness process for personal independence payments to include people with unpredictable terminal illnesses such as Motor Neurone Disease.

Sarah Newton: As for the entitlement conditions generally, the special rules for terminal illness in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are not condition-based. At the end of October 2018, there were 751 claimants with Motor Neurone Disease in receipt of PIP under the special rules for terminal illness. I have met with the Honourable Member for Bridgend, Madeleine Moon MP, the Chair of the All-Party Group on Motor Neurone Disease on a number of occasions, and will continue to work with her alongside other stakeholders.

Universal Credit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department decided to track only the first 10,000 successful applicants through the managed migration pilot and not to track unsuccessful applications.

Alok Sharma: Subject to parliamentary approval, we have sought powers to conduct a pilot phase of Managed Migration, to track up to a maximum of 10,000 claimants through the process. The goal of the pilot is to learn as much as possible and to increase numbers as slowly and gradually as necessary, and there will be safeguards in the process to ensure that no-one is left behind. We will report on our findings from the pilot before bringing forward legislation to extend managed migration. We have said that all individuals will be tracked all the way through the pilot process and understanding the reasons for unsuccessful applications will be an important part of the pilot. However, there will be safeguards in place to protect those who might otherwise fail to make a successful claim. The Department is committed to finding those who will need support and will help them through the process, including home visits where necessary. This will give an indication of the size of the support requirement which will be key information for any future scaling. Our stakeholders and partners will also play a key role and we will work with partners to ensure we reach people who might otherwise be missed, and the further development of these delivery relationships is a major aspect of this phase of the programme.

Social Security Benefits

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants of (a) personal independence payment and (b) employment support that were subject to a mandatory reconsideration were asked whether further evidence has become available since the initial decision stage of their application.

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment and support allowance claimants have been contacted by her Department with an explanation of what information is required to progress their case for mandatory reconsideration.

Sarah Newton: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Information for claimants on how to challenge a decision made by the Department is available on GOV.UK. Where claimants make their Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) application by phone we will gather information on why they think the decision is wrong and ask if they have any further evidence they wish to submit. If a claimant has used the MR form available on GOV.UK, then they will be aware that they should submit any additional evidence with the form. If they write a letter, the Decision Maker will determine whether they need any additional evidence and request it accordingly.

Occupational Pensions

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with stakeholders on removing the lower earnings limit as a result of the Automatic Enrolment Review 2017 in the last 12 months.

Guy Opperman: As part of its 2017 Review the Government committed to build on the consensus on automatic enrolment, which has been a hallmark of the success of the development and operation of the policy.Our ambition is to implement the proposals in the Review, including the removal of the lower earnings limit in the mid-2020s – this is subject to discussions with stakeholders on the implementation approach, finding ways to make these changes affordable, and evidence of the impact of the increases in statutory minimum contribution rates from April 2019.We recognise that employers, payroll and other delivery partners need time to plan for these changes, so that they can manage costs with certainty. Over the past 12 months Ministers and officials have and continue to engage regularly with employers, pension providers, consumer groups and other delivery partners on a range of matters including these areas and have debated Automatic Enrolment in parliament on several occasions. We will continue to do so to inform future consultation on implementation plans.

Occupational Pensions: Self-employed

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what tests of targeted self-employment interventions with regard to the Automatic Enrolment Review 2017 were carried out in 2018; and how those tests have informed options and costs.

Guy Opperman: In its 2017 Review of Automatic Enrolment, the Government committed to improve retirement saving among the self-employed by testing a number of different approaches aimed at improving savings levels. This recognises that, given the diversity of self-employed people, a single initiative is unlikely to work. Finding effective, durable retirement saving solutions for self-employed individuals is, therefore, a long-term challenge.Following extensive stakeholder engagement and preparatory work for trialling activities throughout 2018, the Government’s December 2018 report, ‘Enabling retirement savings for the self-employed: pensions and long-term savings trials’, provided a research and trialling programme, which involves working with partners, to deliver a range of trialling activities from 2019/20.The initial trials focus on testing whether or not certain types of messaging or marketing interventions can increase the propensity of the self-employed to save in a pension. Our objective is that later trials will build on the findings and test the scope to make it easier to prompt and/or facilitate contributions through existing systems which many self-employed people use, such as invoicing services or accounting software.The Department is committed to making information from trialling activities publicly available, working with delivery organisations to ensure monitoring and evaluation is robust to inform implementation options and costs.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph four of the letter from the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work to the hon. Member for Birkenhead, dated 25 July 2018, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of sharing the feedback provided by her Department's Presenting Officers into why her Department's decisions on personal independence payments or employment support allowance have been overturned at appeal.

Sarah Newton: Presenting Officers represent the Secretary of State at tribunals and support them in making the right decision. The feedback they provide from some Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance tribunal hearings for the Department’s decision makers and the Health Care Assessment Providers, is an important element of the improvement work being done to increase the overall quality of the decisions made. The Department continues to monitor and review how the feedback is collected and shared.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to monitor how accurately health professionals capture information that explains the functional effect of the claimant's reported conditions during personal independence payments and employment and support allowance assessments.

Sarah Newton: The Department has a relentless focus on quality and consistency. The Health Care Assessment Providers have on-going assessment quality improvement plans in place, which include clinical observations, internal audit of assessment reports and tailored training and development tools. These plans are closely monitored by the Department through rigorous performance management arrangements and the requirement for quality assessment reports is assessed through an independent audit, with feedback provided to the provider. These measures monitor how accurately Healthcare Professionals capture information on the functional impact of the claimant’s reported conditions at both Personal Independence Payment and Work Capability Assessments.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department monitors the proportion of personal independence payment Mandatory Reconsideration requests that contain a complaint about the quality or accuracy of the face to face assessment.

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department monitors the number of employment support allowance mandatory reconsideration requests that contain a complaint about the quality or accuracy of the work capability assessment.

Sarah Newton: Data on the reasons for Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) requests, including those which contain complaints, is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. We always aim to make the right decision as early as we can. The MR process was introduced as an opportunity to review the original decision and consider any additional evidence provided by the claimant since the original decision was made. We want every claimant to have a quality assessment. The Department works with providers to look at the end to end assessment process, not just the assessment report.

Occupational Pensions

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what incentives the Government provides to encourage individuals in multiple jobs to opt-in to pension saving.

Guy Opperman: In its 2017 Review of Automatic Enrolment Review the Government looked at the position of multiple job holders, including those who earn more than the earnings trigger in aggregate, but do not qualify for automatic enrolment by their employer as they do not earn more than this level in any single job.Currently multiple job holders will benefit from being enrolled by their employer if they earn above the earnings trigger in any one job. This is currently set at £10,000 for 2019/20. For those in multiple jobs who do not earn above the earnings trigger in any single job, the option remains for them to opt-in to workplace saving if they are in a position to do so, and if they earn above the lower earnings limit they will also have the incentive of getting employer contributions. In some cases, these individuals may also receive tax relief on top of their employer contribution. Some may be enrolled by their employer through contractual enrolment into workplace pension saving.The Government is committed to building on the success of automatic enrolment. The 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review sets out our ambition for the mid-2020s, with proposals to improve incentives for low earners in multiple jobs to opt into workplace pension saving by removing the lower earnings limit. This means those individuals would get an employer contribution for every pound earned. However, we will want to fully understand properly the impact of the 2018 and 2019 increases in minimum contribution rates, and work with stakeholders to build the consensus on which the success of automatic enrolment has been based, before committing a timetable for the proposed changes. A significant number of self-employed people choose to opt into Automatic Enrolment themselves.

Social Rented Housing: South Lanarkshire

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many social landlords in South Lanarkshire have access to the landlord portal; and whether he has plans to extend that service to other social landlords in that area.

Justin Tomlinson: There are currently 636 landlords enrolled on the Landlord Portal. We are unable to confirm exactly how many of these operate solely in the South Lanarkshire area as landlords often serve and operate across multiple geographical areas and Local Authorities. As of December 2018, the landlords we have enrolled on the portal represent around 96% of the total Social Rented Sector housing stock in England, Wales and Scotland. Work continues to identify appropriate Social landlords for portal enrolment. The list of landlords currently enrolled on the portal has been published and can be accessed via the link below:https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2019-02-07&td=2019-02-07 If you are aware of any social landlords who are not on the landlord portal but would like to be considered they can email us at TPLP.enrolmentcontacts@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Universal Credit

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to offer financial assistance to local authorities that have increased their bad debt provisions as a result of universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: We appreciate that councils are experiencing budgeting challenges but Universal Credit should not be contributing to them. New Burdens funding has been provided to cover additional costs associated with Universal Credit and the Department will consider reimbursing councils for any additional costs that are not already covered by New Burdens and Universal Support funding. The effect is that Universal Credit should not leave councils out of pocket.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish her Department's guidance for Decision makers on issuing sanctions.

Alok Sharma: The Department’s guidance for its decision makers is already available to see on www.gov.uk. For decision makers dealing with awards of Jobseeker’s Allowance, the guidance can be found in the “Decision Makers Guide” (“DMG”) at chapter 34. Guidance for Employment and Support Allowance can be found in DMG chapter 53. The “Advice for Decision Makers” (“ADM”) contains guidance for decision makers dealing with awards of Universal Credit at chapters K1 to K9. Guidance for awards of new-style Employment and Support Allowance and new-style Jobseeker’s Allowance, guidance can be found at chapters V7 and S4 to S7 respectively.

Children: Maintenance

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has plans to review the four per cent collection charge on child maintenance payments for victims of domestic abuse.

Justin Tomlinson: My Department is fully committed to supporting victims of domestic abuse to ensure they receive the help and support they need to use the Child Maintenance Service safely. Charging is key to our policy of encouraging collaboration between separated parents and research shows that receiving parents who have received a waiver of the £20 application fee due to reporting domestic abuse are just as likely to have an effective arrangement as other receiving parents. The Child Maintenance Service is designed to be a safe service for victims of domestic abuse and support includes:ensuring staff are trained to respond sensitively to domestic abuse issues.facilitating the exchange of bank details.ensuring personal information is not shared.providing information about setting up bank accounts with a sort code, which do not allow parents to be traced.waiving the £20 CMS application fee.signposting to organisations able to provide parents with specific support on the issue of domestic abuse. We remain of the view that there is no evidence to justify a change to the charging structure but we continue to keep our policy under review.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason claimants of universal credit are subject to a five week delay before payment in cases where the claimant is (a) transferring from another benefit; (b) has just left a weekly paid job and (c) has just left a job with a zero hours contract.

Alok Sharma: All Universal Credit claimants are subject to an initial assessment period, regardless of the circumstances that have led to a claim. Assessment periods allow for Universal Credit awards to be adjusted on a monthly basis, ensuring that if a claimant’s income falls, they do not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit award.To support claimants with the move to Universal Credit, we have announced that from July 2020 their existing DWP legacy benefit will continue for two weeks with no requirement to repay the overlap. A similar run-on is already in place for Housing Benefit claimants who move to Universal Credit as a result of a change in circumstances.New claimants to Universal Credit can also apply for a Universal Credit Advance in their first month if they need some financial support until the first regular payment of Universal Credit is made.We have previously increased the maximum amount available for advances from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the total award, and increased the repayment period from 6 months to 12 months.It was also announced in the 2018 Budget that from October 2021 we will extend the maximum period over which advances can be recovered from 12 to 16 months. This will enable the maximum possible advance return to current levels for all claimants.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2019 to Question 220054 on Universal Credit, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the five week waiting time for universal credit on levels of indebtedness among claimants.

Alok Sharma: The Department offers a range of support to support claimants until their first Universal Credit payment. Over the last year we have introduced an additional 2 weeks of Housing Benefit to eligible claimants to support them when they move to Universal Credit. We have increased the amount and repayment period for Universal Credit new claim and benefit transfer advances. From October this year we will reduce the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance. From October 2021 the recovery period will increase from 12 to 16 months. At the Autumn Budget 2018, we also announced the introduction of a two-week continuation of Income Support and the income related elements of Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance from July 2020. There is no assessment planned of this nature.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February to Question 220052 on Universal Credit, if she will publish the evidential basis for the statement that the indications at this stage are that Universal Credit actually helps to clear these arrears over time; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: Following the initial work summarised in the NAO report with a single housing provider, we are currently carrying out analysis of this issue with a number of housing providers, to investigate and understand the true level of rent arrears for their tenants, what is causing them and any impacts Universal Credit may be having. It will be published when completed.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her oral contribution of 11 February 2019, Official Report, column 593, on universal credit, what assessment she has made of the effect of the five-week waiting time for payment on increased demand at foodbanks; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: Between 2017 and 2018, the number of people making a claim to Universal Credit rose by 132%. Trussell Trust data for the same period shows an increase in the number of foodbank parcels issued to Universal Credit claimants of 90%. So what may be observed is a substitution effect, as legacy claims are replaced by Universal Credit claims, rather than an increase directly attributed to Universal Credit. Trussell Trust and Department analysts are exploring this issue further with the aim of reaching a shared conclusion about the impact of Universal Credit on foodbank demand.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of retirement age are in receipt of both industrial injuries disablement benefit and constant attendance allowance.

Sarah Newton: There were 1,040 people aged 65 or over who were in receipt of both Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and Constant Attendance Allowance as of March 2018. Source: Department for Work and Pensions 100% extract data. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10

Department for Work and Pensions: Written Questions

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2019 to Question 207610 on Social Security Benefits, when she plans to provide a substantive Answer to that Question.

Alok Sharma: I replied to the hon. Member’s Question on 18 February 2019

Pension Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2019 to Question 217093 on Pension Credit, what estimate she has made of the number of couples affected in each region of the UK in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22 by the changes to be introduced in May 2019 to the eligibility for Pension Credit of couples where one partner has reached state pension age and the other has not.

Guy Opperman: The Welfare Reform Act 2012 amended entitlement conditions for Pension Credit so as to require both members of a couple to have reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit before the couple can be entitled to it. The change will not affect mixed age couples who are entitled to Pension Credit and/or pension age Housing Benefit immediately before the implementation date unless their entitlement to both those benefits subsequently ends. The number of mixed age couples that are estimated to be affected by forthcoming changes in each region of the UK in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22 is not available.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of UK citizens currently living in other EU countries who will return to live in the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Alok Sharma: The UK government is committed to negotiating a deal for the UK when it leaves the EU in March 2019. However, as a responsible government, work will continue to prepare proportionately for all scenarios, including the outcome that we leave the EU without any deal in March 2019. As part of this work, DWP regularly works with other government departments on planning assumptions, and these assumptions are regularly reviewed and changed as more information arises.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what proportion of successful new universal credit claims in the past year the claimant has been given an advance at the start of their claim.

Alok Sharma: Internal data shows that from February 2018 - January 2019, 57% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit Full Service received an advance payment. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and that our advance system is being utilised so people receive help when they need it.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environmental Stewardship Scheme: St Austell and Newquay

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers in St Austell and Newquay constituency have not received their 2018 Countryside Stewardship Scheme payment from the Rural Payments Agency.

George Eustice: There are 26 Countryside Stewardship agreement holders in St Austell and Newquay constituency who are eligible for an annual 2018 payment. While payments for 2018 claims are underway, of the 26, 22 have not yet received their payment. The Rural Payments Agency took on administration of Countryside Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Countryside Stewardship payments were delayed in 2018; and what the average waiting time was to receive a payment.

George Eustice: Payments for 2018 annual revenue claims are underway and we are committed to making payments to 95% of 2018 Countryside Stewardship customers by 31 March. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) took on administration of Countryside Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system. The RPA does not keep records of the average time an eligible claim takes from receipt to payment.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional (a) funding and (b) staff resource has been provided to the Rural Payments Agency to deliver Countryside Stewardship payments; and whether his Department plans to provide any additional resources.

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide additional resources to the Rural Payments Agency to improve the IT system required to deliver Countryside Stewardship payments.

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve farmer confidence in the Countryside Stewardship scheme.

George Eustice: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) took on the administration of Countryside Stewardship from Natural England in October 2018, along with identified operational resources. Using customer feedback to improve the application process, Defra is supporting the RPA’s efforts to simplify the administration and speed up processing of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system by streamlining processes and improving IT. Having all Common Agricultural Policy schemes under one agency offers a more joined up approach and improves service, such as by having one point of contact. The RPA is already beginning to deliver much needed changes, such as technical updates to systems and improving internal processes. We are offering more ways to apply online, providing clearer guidance and reducing the evidence burden on applicants.We have also committed to making annual revenue payments to 95% of 2018 Countryside Stewardship customers by March 31, and will be making bridging payments in early April so no eligible recipient will wait beyond early April to receive a payment.

Agriculture: Land

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the need (a) for more and (b) to use more existing Grade 1 agricultural land for agricultural purposes in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

George Eustice: The Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land is classed as grade 3b and above. Most arable and vegetable crops can be grown on grade 3 soils and above. Top fruit crops tend to require grade 1 or grade 2 land. Most grade 1 land in the UK is already under agricultural production. The UK gets its food from different sources including strong domestic production and imports from the EU and beyond. We will still have a high level of food security whether we leave the EU with or without a deal and our future agriculture policy will allow farmers to continue providing a supply of healthy, home-grown produce made to high environmental and animal welfare standards.

Agriculture

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for farming policy after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Our plans for future farming policy are set out in the Agriculture Bill. At the heart of our new policy in England will be a system that pays public money for public goods, rewarding farmers for enhancing animal welfare, improving soil health and creating habitats for wildlife. We are also introducing measures to support investment in farm productivity and to improve fairness in the supply chain.

Home Office

Borders: Gibraltar

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with the National Police Coordination Centre on the capacity of the police service in Gibraltar to manage border security in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mr Nick Hurd: Home Office officials are working closely with the National Police Co-ordination Centre (NPoCC) and with the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to determine the impact of EU Exit on policing and plan accordingly.It is entirely responsible and appropriate that we prepare for every eventuality and we will continue to work closely with our policing partners on contingency planning to ensure the safety and security of our citizens.

Asylum: Finance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has held discussions with the Information Commissioner on the effect of the introduction of the Aspen on (a) data protection and (b) an individuals privacy.

Caroline Nokes: The introduction of the Aspen Card and its effect on data protection and privacy has not been discussed with the Information Commissioner.As part of the project, consideration was given to the privacy aspects of the scheme. The terms and conditions relating to Aspen usage received appropriate legal scrutiny prior to being published and make it clear that personal data will be used only for the prevention of fraud and to preserve the integrity of the scheme which includes ensuring the welfare of card users

Asylum: Finance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have had their asylum support (a) suspended and (b) discontinued as a result of information obtained by the monitoring of the usage of an Aspen card.

Caroline Nokes: Where evidence comes to light that would suggest a supported asylum ap-plicant has access to alternative accommodation and support, we would invite the applicant to give an account of their activity.Evidence can come from a number of sources, including Aspen usage data. Suspension and any subsequent discontinuation of support due to a breach of conditions carries a right of appeal. Data is not held in a publishable format.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether seasonal workers who come to the UK through the seasonal agricultural workers pilot scheme (a) will be asked to leave the country after a period of time, (b) how long this period of time will be and (c) whether it will be possible for those workers to re-apply to the pilot scheme after they have left the UK.

Caroline Nokes: As the Government has set out in the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules laid before this House on 11 December (HC 1779), migrants granted leave for the Seasonal Workers Pilot can spend a maximum of six months working in the UK, in any 12 month period.

Armed Conflict: Syria

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been prosecuted for offences in relation to actions (a) in relation to the war while in Syria and (b) in relation to fighting in Syria after returning to the UK.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Security and Economic Crime of 11 June 2018, Official Report, column 666, with what offences were the approximately 40 people charged with.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Security and Economic Crime of 11 June 2019, Official Report, column 666, what sentences did the approximately 40 people receive.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Security and Economic Crime of 11 June 2018, Official Report, column 666, how many of the approximately 40 people were found guilty of committing an offence.

Mr Ben Wallace: As of June 2018, approximately 40 individuals have been convicted on their return from Syria/Iraq, either because of offences committed overseas or for other activity linked to their involvement in terrorism. The convictions are for a range of offences and are not limited to offences covered by terrorism legislation. In some cases, the individuals in question may not know they have been investigated and prosecuted (for non-terrorist offences) because of their engagement in terrorism. I am therefore unable to go into further details of specific offences or sentences received.The safety and security of our country, our people and our communities remains the Government’s number one priority.Around 900 people of national security concern travelled from the UK to engage in the conflict in Syria and Iraq. Of these, approximately 20% have been killed while overseas, and around 40% have returned to the UK.The majority of those who have returned did so in the earlier stages of the conflict, and were investigated on their return. A significant proportion of these individuals are assessed as no longer being of national security concern.Everyone – male or female, of any age – who returns from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq must expect to be investigated by the police to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.

Immigration: Commonwealth

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Commonwealth nationals who are members of the British Armed Forces have applied for their (a) partner and (b) children to settle in the UK; and how many of those applications were (i) accepted and (ii) rejected due to lack of income in each year since 2013.

Caroline Nokes: We do not publish this specific data. This information could only be obtained by a manual case by case review to collate the data which would be disproportionately expensive.

Drug Seizures

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the supply of (a) cannabis, (b) heroin, (c) cocaine and (d) ecstasy that was seized in each year since 2008.

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the quantity of (a) heroin, (b) cannabis, (c) cocaine and (d) ecstasy that was (i) imported into and (ii) consumed in the UK in each year since 2003.

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what methodology his Department uses to estimate the size in (a) value and (b) weight of the illegal supply of (i) heroin, (ii) cannabis, (iii) cocaine and (iv) ecstasy to the UK.

Mr Nick Hurd: In the annual ‘Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales), the total amounts of cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy seized in each year are provided. However, no estimate has been made of the proportion of the total supply which such seizures represent.The Home Office does not hold information on the total amount of drugs imported into the UK in each year. (ii) Estimates on the prevalence and frequency of drug use in England and Wales are published in in the annual ‘Drug Misuse’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/drug-misuse-declared), but not on the total quantity of drugs consumed each year.In a 2013 Home Office report ‘Understanding Organised Crime’ (which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246390/horr73.pdf), the value of the illicit supply of various categories of drugs were estimated, which include heroin, cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy. The methodology can be found in Annex 2 of the report.

Housing: Fires

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fires in residential properties have been caused by gas faults in the last (a) 12 months, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fires caused by electrical faults there have been in residential properties in the last (a) year, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been injured or killed by fires caused by electrical faults in residential properties in the last (a) year, (b) five years and (c) 10 years in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what has been the financial cost of fires in residential properties in the last (a) year, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

Mr Nick Hurd: Fire is a devolved matter and Home Office is responsible only for fire in England.Home Office publishes incident level statistics on dwelling fires in England including cause of fire and ignition power, and on fire-related fatalities in England including cause of fire. These can be found in the ‘Dwelling fires dataset’ and ‘Fire-related dataset’ here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-incident-level-datasetsFrom these, the data in the tables below can be extracted. Record level information is published from 2010/11 - although the national Incident Recording System began in April 2009 there are a few minor issues with the 2009/10 records which mean that, while statistics at higher levels are robust, some of the incident level records are not of a sufficient quality to publish.The most recent estimates of the economic cost of fire were published by the Department for Communities and Local Government for 2008. This can be found here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121105004836/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1838338.pdf Table 1. Number of dwelling fires caused by ‘faulty fuel supplies’ or ‘faulty appliances and leads’, where the ignition power was either electricity or gas. Ignition power Electric GasFinancial yearNumber% of all dwelling fires Number% of all dwelling fires2010/116,77819% 3071%2011/126,59519% 2561%2012/136,85121% 2721%2013/146,46220% 2451%2014/156,48721% 2011%2015/166,24720% 1941%2016/176,37421% 2021%2017/186,38621% 1821%Table 2. Number of fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires caused by ‘faulty fuel supplies’ or ‘faulty appliances and leads’ Fire-related fatalitiesFinancial yearNumber% of all dwelling fire fatalities2010/11187%2011/122912%2012/13157%2013/142311%2014/152010%2015/16157%2016/17178%2017/189235%Note that 71 of the 92 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires caused by ‘faulty fuel supplies’ or ‘faulty appliances and leads’ in 2017/18 (Table 2) are from the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017.

Elections: USA

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any United States government agency has made a request to UK Government agencies in relation to the Special Counsel investigation into possible collusion between the 2016 presidential election campaign of Donald Trump and the Russian Government.

Mr Ben Wallace: Investigations into Russian interference in the US are a matter for the US authorities. We won’t comment on the ongoing investigations.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Ministers have had recent meetings with representatives of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to discuss proposals to reduce the number of fire stations and engines in the city region; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: Ministers have not had any recent meetings with representatives of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and we are not aware of proposals to reduce the number of fire stations and engines in the city region.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that EU citizens with mental incapacity will be registered for settled status.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is accessible for all.A user group of external stakeholders who represent the needs of vulnerable individuals has been established to work with the Home Office to assess understand relevant risks and issues and to ensure the right support arrangements are in place for applicants, including those with mental incapacity.It is possible for someone to apply to the Scheme on behalf of someone with a mental incapacity. The Home Office will accept a range of evidence of identity and residence on behalf of an applicant. In addition, where someone misses the deadline for their application for a good reason, they will be given a reasonable further period in which to apply.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the risks that the opt-in process for applying for settled status poses for people with a mental incapacity.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office requires EU citizens to ‘opt-in’ to the EU Settlement Scheme by making an application as an immigration status cannot be granted without the consent of the individual. Furthermore, there is no record of which EU citizens are currently resident in the UK, so individuals must identify themselves in order to apply to the scheme.The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is accessible for all, including those requiring someone to make an application on their behalf. A user group of external stakeholders who represent the needs of vulnerable individuals has been established to work with the Home Office to understand relevant risks and issues and to ensure the right support arrangements are in place for applicants, including those with mental incapacity. We are also engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Health and Social Care, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are met.It is possible for someone to apply to the Scheme on behalf of someone with a mental incapacity. The Home Office will accept a range of evidence of identity and residence on behalf of an applicant. In addition, where someone misses the deadline for their application for a good reason, they will be given a reasonable further period in which to apply.

Home Office: Staff

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the (a) experience level required, (b) skill level required and (c) wage rate paid to National Referral Mechanism decision-makers.

Caroline Nokes: The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and supporting all victims through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). We are reforming the NRM to ensure victims of modern slavery get the support they need and are introducing measures to ensure quicker, more effective decision-making.National Referral Mechanism decision makers receive extensive classroom based training and considerable guidance, mentoring and ongoing support from experienced colleagues. Their performance and quality of work is routinely monitored. All NRM decision-makers are paid in line with the rate for Home Office Executive Officers, which is the grade for the decision-making role.

Slavery: Victims

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what number and proportion of people who received (a) negative reasonable grounds decisions and (b) negative conclusive grounds decisions under the National Referral Mechanism for potential victims of human trafficking (i) appealed or had those decisions reconsidered and (ii) were subsequently given positive decisions in the most recent period for which information is available.

Caroline Nokes: The National Crime Agency publishes statistics on referrals into the National Referral Mechanism on a quarterly basis. These reports are available via the following links:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statisticshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slaveryRequests for reconsideration of negative conclusive grounds decisions can be made in line with the published policy which is available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/victims-of-trafficking-guidance-for-competent-bodiesThe specific information you have requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. This is because a manual search through individual records would be required to identify requests for reconsideration that were rejected because they were not in line with policy or those that were refused due to insufficient grounds for reconsideration. In addition, it is not possible to distinguish solely from database records whether a reconsideration case type was the result of a reconsideration request as defined in the published policy, the result of litigation or the result of the reconsideration of a suspended case.

Church Commissioners

Christianity: Oppression

Jim Shannon: To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what humanitarian support the Church of England provides to people overseas that are persecuted for their Christian beliefs.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Anglican mission agencies work with and alongside Churches and partners across the Anglican Communion as they live out God’s mission in often hostile environments. This work is complemented by the web of diocesan companion links that twin Church of England dioceses with other parts of the Communion. These relationships are valuable instruments by which the Church of England provides practical support to those that are facing restriction and hostility as a result of their faith.

Homelessness

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to tackle homelessness.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The General Synod of the Church of England will discuss homelessness at its February meeting this week.The Church of England is engaged at diocesan and parish level with initiatives such as night shelters, providing food and clothing to people who are homeless. These initiatives are best managed and operated at a local level so that they can best react to the local needs. Good examples of long running projects can be seen in the Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds Dioceses.

Married People: Tax Allowances

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent discussions the Church of England has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the marriage allowance.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church Commissioners have not recently held discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the Married Couple’s Tax Allowance, though the matter has been raised by bishops in the House of Lords.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Service Industries: Exports

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the level of income from services exports after the UK leaves the EU compared with before.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Political Declaration outlines the EU and the UK’s commitment to ambitious arrangements for services and investment that go well beyond WTO commitments, and build on recent EU Free Trade Agreements, alongside new arrangements on financial services.On 28 November the Government published long-term economic analysis of the relative impacts of different trading relationships in the long term, after the UK’s new relationship with the EU comes into effect. The analysis does not provide a sector-level breakdown of trade volumes impacts. The analysis estimates that, in the long run, UK exports are broadly unchanged in a modelled White Paper scenario compared to today’s arrangements. This equates to 12 percentage points higher than what would be expected in the modelled no deal scenario.

UK Relations with EU

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent estimate she has made of length of time required to negotiate a final status agreement with the EU.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We stand ready to begin negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU immediately after exit. The Withdrawal Agreement will ensure a transition to a smooth and orderly future relationship.Both the UK and the EU are committed to ensuring that the necessary arrangements for our future partnership come into force by the end of 2020, as set out in the joint UK-EU Political Declaration of 22nd November 2018.

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government has made an economic assessment of the Malthouse compromise proposals.

Mr Robin Walker: We have engaged with this proposal sincerely and positively, and the principle of alternative arrangements has already been accepted by the EU as a way out of the backstop. The Prime Minister and President Juncker agreed that our teams should hold further talks to find a way forward.The Government has delivered on its commitment to provide appropriate analysis to Parliament. The analysis, published in November 2018, focuses on the long-term economic impacts after the UK’s new relationship with the EU comes into effect. It does not seek to capture any short-term changes and does not account for specific factors relating to varying border arrangements. The analysis does not model the Backstop as it is an insurance policy which neither side wish to use; and if triggered, would be explicitly temporary. For the same reason it is not practical to model alternatives to the backstop.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Bullying

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff in her Department reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work in the most recent Civil Service People Survey.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Bullying and harassment has no place in any workplace, including the Civil Service. In our most recent People Survey, 11% of respondents, on average, told us that they'd experienced bullying or harassment at work in the 12 months preceding the survey.Whilst this figure has remained stable since 2016, we recognise that certain groups of staff are more likely to say they have experienced this type of unacceptable behaviour than others. This includes staff members with long-term limiting conditions who, in the vast majority of departments and agencies, were more likely to say they'd been bullied or harassed in the last 12 months than staff members with no long-term limiting conditions. We are strengthening the routes for staff to report bullying and harassment to ensure that all staff are fully supported throughout the process, and to ensure cultures are positive and inclusive.The high level People Survey results for each organisation, including reported rates of bullying and harassment, were published last December on gov.uk. Each spring the Cabinet Office conducts and publishes a range of further analysis on the People Survey responses, including the results by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and health status. Similar analysis will be conducted again this year and made available on gov.uk.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: East Africa

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department has taken to promote free trade with the East African Community after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: As the Prime Minister said in her visit to the region last year, the UK wants to deepen its trading relations with EAC and is increasing its presence in the region. Our immediate priority is a smooth transition in our trading relations with East Africa as the UK prepares to leave the EU. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries including the countries of the EAC. In Kenya, we are promoting bilateral trade opportunities in many areas, including infrastructure, energy and healthcare.

EU External Trade: Trade Agreements

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress he has made in obtaining assurances that the UK will be able to replicate the 40 free trade agreements that the EU has with third party countries during the transition period.

George Hollingbery: Alongside the Withdrawal Agreement, the EU undertook to notify its treaty partners that the UK is treated as a Member State for the purposes of EU international agreements during the IP. This includes trade agreements. This notification is expected to issue following signature of the Withdrawal Agreement. Discussions with all partner countries have demonstrated a commitment to finding a pragmatic way to ensure continuity of our existing international agreements. A number of countries have already publicly welcomed this approach (Library deposit of 13 September DEP2018-0926 provides a list of countries). Others are, understandably, waiting for the notification to be issued before responding formally. We are working closely with our trading partners to ensure that there would be no disruption to trade as we move into the Implementation Period. Alongside this, the government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities with partner countries, including a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario.

Trade Agreements: Developing Countries

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what are the least-developed countries to which the UK plans to grant duty-free and quota-free access; and what are the further 25 countries that will be granted generous tariff reductions.

George Hollingbery: The UK’s independent trade preference scheme will, as a minimum, provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme. The countries that will receive duty free quota free access are those listed in Part 2 of Schedule 3 of the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act, and the other eligible developing countries that will be granted preferences are those listed in Part 3 of that Schedule.

Trade Agreements: West Africa

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress his Department has made in replicating the terms of the EU trade agreements with (a) Ghana and (b) Ivory Coast in new  agreements with the UK.

George Hollingbery: I refer to the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 12 February 2019, UIN: 216437.

Cryptography: Exports

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish the manufacturers in receipt of Open Individual Export Licences for (a) 5E002, (b) 5A002 and (c) 5D002 on UK Strategic Export Control Lists (i) 2018-04-16 to Bahrain; (ii) 2018-04-16 to Egypt; (iii) 2018-04-16 to Jordan; (iv) 2018-04-16 to Kuwait; (v) 2018-04-16 to Lebanon; (vi) 2018-04-16 to Oman; (vii) 2018-04-16 to Pakistan; (viii) 2018-04-16 to Qatar; (ix) 2018-04-16 to Saudi Arabia; and (x) 2018-04-16 to United Arab Emirates.

Graham Stuart: I am withholding the names of those in receipt of the Open Individual Export Licences as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Trade Agreements: USA

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the US Administration's potential demands on food standards as part of negotiations on a trade deal.

George Hollingbery: The Government has made it clear that any future deal with the US must work for UK consumers, farmers and food manufacturers as well as protecting the UK’s high standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.It is too soon to say what would be covered in a future UK-US deal.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Horse Racing: Equine Flu

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support horse racing venues after the recent equine flu outbreak.

Dame Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department has provided to the horseracing industry following the recent equine influenza outbreak and suspension of racing.

Mims Davies: The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) is an arms-length body of DCMS which is responsible for collecting a statutory Levy from betting operators which it distributes in line with its statutory duties to support British horse racing. In April 2017, the Government implemented significant reforms to the Levy, resulting in a £45m increase in statutory Levy income in 2017/18. The HBLB provides over £200,000 annually for the Equine Influenza Programme, and a further £150,000 towards the Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance Programme, provides British racing with expert information and provisions to minimise the impact of equine diseases and respond quickly to outbreaks. HBLB has committed to pay a contribution to owners or trainers for the costs incurred where the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) recently required test samples to be taken for equine influenza, including the cost of the swabs and the veterinary fees involved. In addition, HBLB has committed £321,500 to support the rescheduling of replacement races and fixtures following the recent suspension, and will continue discussions with the BHA regarding funding for further races and fixtures as required. The BHA have now scheduled a number of additional fixtures from February 20th onwards.

Third Sector

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 107 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy, published in August 2018, what steps his Department has taken to extend the support currently offered to public sector teams aspiring to form mutuals to other community-led and social organisations which are already outside the public sector and wish to deliver public services.

Mims Davies: As promised in the Civil Society Strategy, DCMS will launch a public consultation into the definition of public service mutuals (mutuals) and the implications of extending support to create mutuals that do not originate from within the public sector. Government is engaging with the stakeholders over the next few months to help develop its proposals, and intends to launch the public consultation later in 2019.

Third Sector

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 113 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy, published in August 2018, what steps his Department has taken review the Innovation Partnership model; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage contracting authorities to work directly with partners to research and develop an innovative project or service, including trialling the Innovative Partnership model.

Mims Davies: The government is taking steps to explore the use of Innovation Partnerships procedures, with the VCSE Crown Representative also inputting into this initiative. This includes pilots in government, the first of which, the Hydrogen for Heat Programme run by BEIS, has now commenced. Further updates will be provided in due course.

Third Sector

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 115 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, whether his Department applies the terms of the Social Value Act to (a) goods and (b) works to account for the social value of new procurement.

Mims Davies: DCMS is continuing to work closely with the Cabinet Office to implement a package of measures for the future of social value and procurement. This was set out in the Civil Society Strategy and announced by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington. This includes a project to extend the application of the Social Value Act across central government departments from services to also include goods and works. Departments will be required to evaluate for social value benefits in the tender process too, providing they do not add complexity or cost to the procurement process, restrict markets or exclude small businesses from government contracts.

Festival of Britain: Finance

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2018 to Questions 186397 and 186398 on Festival of Britain: Finance, in which year the Festival of Britain funding allocations will be made.

Michael Ellis: The Festival will showcase the UK's unique strengths in creativity and innovation and will be held in 2022. The Festival programme is at its early stages of planning, and funding arrangements will be confirmed in due course.

Public Libraries: Learning Disability

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with learning disabilities are able to access resources in unstaffed libraries.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that public libraries are autism and dementia friendly spaces.

Michael Ellis: Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is for each local authority to decide how best to provide their library service ensuring that it meets local needs, including for those library users with a learning disability, or with autism or dementia. Many library services in England train staff to meet these needs and provide library spaces, resources and support designed for people with these and other disabilities or conditions. For example, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council received around £100,000 from DCMS through the Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone fund, to develop innovative new spaces in its central libraries, including in Thornaby Library. This Imagination Station opened in May 2018 and provides sensory and immersive experiences designed for people with a variety of health needs, including those living with dementia, autism, or learning disabilities.

Prime Minister

Social Services: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February to Question 214525, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of transferring responsibility for children's services to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to Answer of 5 February 2019 to Question 214525 on Social Services: Children, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect on Government policy of transferring responsibility for children's services to the Department for Education in 2017.

Mrs Theresa May: I discuss a range of issues with Ministerial colleagues. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose information relating to internal discussions.

Women and Equalities

HIV Infection: Ethnic Groups

Angela Crawley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle the stigma faced by BAME people living with HIV to help ensure they engage with medical professionals.

Victoria Atkins: The Minister for Women and Equalities leads on policy relating to women, sexual orientation and transgender equality. We encourage organisations that provide HIV prevention and treatment services to proactively engage with the BAME lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population. The LGBT Action Plan includes a commitment on tackling HIV transmission, AIDS and HIV-related deaths. Public Health England are disseminating results from their ‘Positive Voices’ survey to tackle the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV. Public Health England and the Department for Health and Social Care are responsible for sexual health policy. The Government Equalities Office work with those departments to tackle health inequalities faced by LGBT people, including those who are BAME.

Government Equalities Office: Pay

Angela Crawley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many employees in her Department are paid below £8.75 per hour; and how many of those employees are women.

Victoria Atkins: The Government Equalities Office staff are all paid at least £8.75 per hour.